The God of War
by hdgcat
Summary: A much older Bill tries to quietly celebrate his birthday on the red planet. OC/BPOV/other vamps and Bon Temps residents make appearances
1. Chapter 1

_Charlaine Harris owns all these characters and the little world they live in. She does not, however, own the red planet._

_A/N This is the 1st chapter of a short story chosen by my contest winner SemiramisII. It's going to be struturally a little different from my other stories. It's actually very simple. A day in the life of Bill Compton combined with some flashbacks. There will be some flipping back and forth. I hope that doesn't confuse anyone. It will be maybe 4 chapters, we'll see. You all know I have trouble stopping once I get started. LOL! The rating may change to M later too, I haven't worked that part out either. :)_

_enjoy._

888888888888888888888888

And so we talked through the summer night,  
>Of life and of love amid the stars;<br>And how our wrongs would be all made right  
>In the Planet Mars<p>

_Albert Bigelow Paine

8888888888888888888888888

Hello Anton,

It's odd sending an actual letter through the snail mail, but I understand your concern regarding our discussing the vampire program in email.

I got in touch with the expert I told you about and he added some useful items for consideration. Please realize, that for his personal safety, I cannot tell you who he is. Suffice it to say, his credentials are top notch. Once the vampires came out into the open, he changed fields and he's been studying their social structure and psychology. Obviously, they are unaware they are being studied and it needs to remain so.

He completely nixed your idea regarding having current astronauts turned into vampires. You and I both realized this would be an unpopular idea at best, but he presented other issues as well. From his studies he has found that the newly turned vampires tend to be emotionally unstable, often impulsive, and require monitoring, very similar to a newborn. He's also discovered that younger vampires possess a far greater need for blood than older vampires. No matter their age when turned, they often resemble teenagers emotionally which would be impossible to overcome with training.

Also, newly turned vampires typically stay with their makers for up to five years. The Maker is a teacher and mentor amongst other things and valuable time would be lost before training could begin. And he could not emphasize this enough: we have to check out each vampire candidate's Maker. The Maker's have a lot of sway over their offspring, almost like a parent, but more so. He's still working out the specifics, but even with Makers and Children who don't even like each other, there is still a lot of influence. Therefore, he's suggesting that that any candidate's Maker would be interviewed for any negative opinions regarding this program and their Child's involvement. This would avoid any potential issues. Even better, if we find a suitable candidate whose Maker is finally dead. That would be ideal.

For different reasons, he feels that recruiting older vampires (ie: preindustrial time frames) would be a waste of time. While the older vampires are more emotionally stable, are very strong, and require less blood, there are other issues. The huge expanse of time they have spent living outside of human society has rendered a complete disabling of human values that cannot be recaptured. Quite simply, they can no longer think like people do. They don't even remember how. Also, he has observed less flexibility with regards to new technologies from this particular group. Like many older humans, they are more set in their ways. There is also a lower tolerance for disturbances in close group situations.

His suggestion is to recruit from a specific age group. This would be vampires who were still human just before, during, or just after the Industrial Revolution. The vampires from this time period are old enough to possess the necessary emotional stability. Their dietary needs are moderate. They also tend to be open minded with regards to new technologies relative to older vampires. He has theorized this is due to their experiencing unprecedented technological changes while they were still alive. Their flexibility and willingness to continually learn and adapt has followed them into their undead lives. In his opinion, the odds would be greater of finding suitable candidates from this group and would help prevent us from wasting valuable time.

You and I both know that in order for this program to succeed, we will need to avoid any major setbacks. Losing momentum could easily create the opportunity for a landslide of opposition that would prevent this program from even getting off the ground. My contact does agree that the positives far outweigh the negatives with respect to pursuing this line of investigation. Finding a suitable candidate will be daunting, but will also lift the goal of man walking on Mars from the possible to the probable. And that is worth finding out.

A couple other items:

He feels that the current psychological model for deep space human explorers can also be applied to vampires as well, ie: introverted natures, lack of needing constant new group stimulation, high tolerance for repetitive work, flexibility with regards to dealing with others in close quarters, positive attitude towards setbacks, and ability to figure out technical/mechanical challenges that may present themselves in the field with little or no assistance. In other words, the personality type that is becoming universally acknowledged as a good fit for this type of assignment. My contact participated in studies involving both the Concordia and Mcmurdo Station scientists in Antarctica. He has suggested that if potential vampire candidates are found, they should be sent to one of the stations to see how they handle close confined quarters with humans. This way, any overlooked issues may be addressed.

A potential roadblock is learning enough vampire physiology to be confident about sending them into space to begin with. It will be similar to what the scientists were dealing with back in the 1960's when they literally had no idea if man could survive outside the confines of our atmosphere. Unfortunately, there is no way to create a vampire dog or monkey to send first. And since vampires have been adamant about refusing all medical examinations…..he's not sure what will need to be done on this.

Like me, I'm sure you've heard rumors about secret bunkers in Area 51 run by the CIA and the FBI, but even if there are such experiments being done on vampires, the results may never see the light of day. Not to mention the repercussions from the vampire community could be catastrophic.

It is likely that NASA may need to work with the Japanese corporation that manufactures the synthetic blood the vampires drink. Sending all that liquid into space…well…I don't have to tell you what that would cost. When you're talking $8000 per kilo of weight just to go into space and over $300,000 per kilo to Mars…well... it's worth looking into.

The sunlight issue will need to be studied. Of course you know that our atmosphere and our planet's mass block most of the energy emanating from the sun, especially at night. But once any ship leaves orbit, it's exposed to additional radiation and energy (like solar wind) that normally never make it to the Earth's surface in dangerous amounts. A lot of research will have to go into this. Having a vampire astronaut melt like the Wicked Witch of the West in front of billions of people on NASA TV just doesn't bear considering.

Biting/feeding must be discussed, especially within the astronaut corp. If the synthetic blood turns out to be impractical to ship into space (a definite possibility) then it could come down to raising the calories allowed the human astronauts in order to feed the vampire astronauts. What will NASA decide? Will the astronauts on the crew tolerate being made a meal of in order to being a part of the Mars crew? You and I have met enough astronauts to know that most of them would sell their soul to Satan, as long as they can be a part of a Mar's mission. But the PR side of this for NASA would be complicated. With a number of the Right Wing religious type groups opposing vampire's right to exist at all, this could be a serious breaking point, especially when it's being budgeted. After all, every year there's some legislator who suggests that NASA is a waste of money. Those individuals will be the ones adamantly against this program.

These are amazing times we live in aren't they? Who would have ever thought we'd finally get the green light on sending people to Mars? And then the vampires emerging from the gray mist of history and myth…to join us in these endeavors? It gives me chills just thinking about it. I'm glad we've both lived long enough to see it. You remember our old Professor Swanbeck? I wish he'd lived to see this. He would have loved it.

Anyway, we'll discuss this more at length when you and Annie come down. The wife and I are really looking forward to it. I've got the chess board all set up. Don't think you'll be able to get one of those ancient Russian strategies by me again!

Take care and see you soon,

Ben

"Good afternoon Bill. It is time to wake up now"

Bill's eyes opened the moment the computer's voice spoke, reminding him it was time to get up. He didn't really need the alarm, but since setting it was a trivial thing, he'd decided to have the computer's reminder just in case. He stretched against the smooth sheets in the darkness of his quarters. They felt pleasant against his naked skin and he felt himself becoming erect. Human men weren't the only ones who got "morning wood". Rubbing his bottom into the firm mattress underneath him, he briefly debated touching himself. No, he would wait. There was a ship landing today, dropping off rich tourists, a few dignitaries, and a rotation of scientists. There was bound to be a few attractive humans on board. Humans who would want to share his bed and their blood with him, now that they were far away from Earth. A vampire his age appreciated anticipation.

"Caroline," he addressed the computer. "Open the shutters please."

"Yes Bill. I am opening the shutters now." The pale shutters, which resembled flaps of heavy sails for ships, began drawing across the wide window. An almost peachy light enveloped the white walls around him. He watched it creating shadows along the items in the room. He never tired of observing the light coming through his windows. Other than the visitor suites, which cost a fortune to stay in, he had one of the largest private window views on the station. The reward for having been on the station for so long and helping make it what it was today. The computer's soft voice continued," The shutters are now fully open."

"Thank you Caroline"

"You are welcome. Would you like some Syn-B or Syn- O today?"

"I'll have some O, please."

"It will be ready in approximately 60 seconds."

He lazily propped himself up on a couple pillows, listening to the soft hum and "sssshhhh" sound of the liquid food processor. It had been modified to mix the synthetic blood at the right consistency and the perfect temperature. Far superior to its predecessors, it was actually hard to tell apart from real human blood. Many of the young vampires literally couldn't tell the difference. Older vampires like Bill, however, could.

Normally, he'd already be up, partially dressed and checking his messages, but today, he could be a tiny bit slothful. He'd asked for the day off, which had shocked several of his coworkers into speechlessness.

The Psyrec Coordinator, Julie, had been thrilled since she'd been trying to get Bill to "relax" since she'd arrived on the station two Martian years ago. A warm and bubbly individual, she'd broken out into a huge grin when he'd told her. "Psyrec" stood for psychology and recreation which were her two specialties. She was responsible for the psychological welfare of everyone on the station and head of the recreation department as well. She answered to the head of the Medical department and had made it her personal mission to get Bill to take some time off from his work.

He smiled to himself as he remembered her reaction. She had practically bounced on her toes with glee, causing a couple other things to bounce as well. It had been quite distracting. He wondered what her reaction would be if she knew his wife from his human life's name had been Caroline. No doubt, she would be concerned and read something tragic into this. It would be difficult to explain to someone who wasn't his age. But, it was really quite simple. He had always liked the name Caroline.

Sliding out of bed, he padded over to the dispenser and waved his hand across the sensor eye. A little plastic door opened and his warm mug was ready. "Mar's Coolest Boss" was splashed across the front in garish colors. One of his younger human underlings had given it to him a few years ago for an old fashioned Christmas exchange. The young man had felt compelled to point out that Bill was indeed, literally…cool. And when the young man finished his rotation and transferred back to Earth, he'd spent his last night on the station in Bill's quarters finding out just how literally cool Bill was.

Smiling around his mug, Bill glided over to his favorite chair near the window. He'd spent so much time on this planet that he'd grown used to the lighter gravity. Humans found the gravity delightful, but vampire visitors were often a bit grumpy about it until they got used to it. He settled back into the chair and put his feet up on the window ledge.

A small stack of very old books sat next to his feet, ancient survivors as he was and remnants of a different time. Chopping down trees for paper was no longer permitted unless they were grown for that specific purpose. He gazed at the little pile. Each one had a memory attached, gifted from various visitors to the station. They had heard of his fondness for reading and old fashioned paper books, so they would present one to him when they arrived. It was a quaint custom, but he saw no reason to discourage it. And he liked the books.

"Bill, would you like to hear your messages now?" The computer asked. It was programmed to anticipate based on previous activity. Bill usually listened to his messages while drinking his first Syn after waking.

"Yes"

"Would you like me to prioritize the older messages or the immediate ones?"

Normally, he would handle business related messages first. But today, since he was "off", he wasn't going to worry about it. There was a rumor that Julie had threatened his team with bodily harm if they bothered him today with anything less than a life or death emergency.

"No, I will listen to the personal ones first."

The computer pondered this change in routine for a second. "There are three packets of personal messages from Earth. Do you have a preference of which ones you would like to hear first?" There was a constant stream of information being sent back and forth between Earth and the Mar's station. Personal, non urgent messages were not a priority and as such were "bundled" into virtual packets by the communication's computers back on Earth. Once transmitted to the Mars primary communication computer, they would be checked for any possible threats, then dropped into his personal mailbox.

"No…ah…yes…are there any from Eric?"

"Do you mean Eric Northman, Eric Skarsgard, or Eric in the geology pod?"

He'd forgotten they had an Eric on the station now. "Eric Northman is the one I meant."

"Checking. There are no new messages from Eric Northman at this time."

Bill took another sip of his drink and frowned. He hadn't heard from Eric in over …what ..3 weeks? A tiny twinge of concern flickered in the back of his mind as he shifted in his chair. When was the last time it had taken this long for Eric to send a message? Typically, he'd get at least one packet a week in his mailbox. And in that packet, there would always be at least one message from Eric. Sometimes, the message would be quite extensive with news and information of goings on with the vampires on Earth. Other times, it might only be a brief message saying all is well. But there was always a message.

Bill didn't send responses all the time. He tried to remember when he'd last sent a message back with questions or any other information. Maybe he should do so. It would be polite and if he still didn't hear back? He shifted in his chair again and ran through a list of the various vampires he could check with about Eric's current situation. While he had many vampire acquaintances, were there any he trusted?

No, not really.

But, he wasn't going to worry. That would be a waste of time. He was sure Eric was fine, probably just too busy to send a message. Eric hadn't survived this long for anything to happen to him now. The possibility that Eric no longer existed refused to settle into Bill's mind. He wasn't going to waste his day off fussing over something silly.

Speaking of silly, he truly hoped that Julie hadn't taken any close looks at his file lately or she might realize why he'd chosen today to be off. Back on Earth, give or take a dozen hours or so, it was his birthday. God forbid if Julie found out. She would insist on a party… or worse… a SURPRISE party. Fortunately, he was pretty sure that no one currently on the station even knew when his birthday was. And he wanted to keep it that way. He wanted to relax and perhaps reflect a little today, that's all.

Tipping back his mug and finishing the last of his drink, he stood up and stretched. The fine Mar's dust was collected around the edges of his window. He'd have to have that taken care of since the dust was bad for the window joints. Actually, the dust was bad for just about everything, but it wasn't an emergency and he could handle it tomorrow.

The solar collectors in the distance shifted slightly, following the dim later afternoon Sun in the sky. The little sweeper "bots" bounced around them like grasshoppers. The bots were simple, cat sized robots that were programmed on a very basic level and their only job was to keep the collectors free of the infamous Mar's dust. Humans found them very amusing since they were programmed to go to humans for help if they were damaged or needed maintenance. They would make a high pitched plaintive sound that never failed to elicit an "AWWW" from female observers. The fact that they had been designed with a "cuteness factor" added to the effect.

One time, after a bad dust storm, Bill had gone out to the collectors and been swarmed by the bots, all demanding his attention. It would have been impractical to work on them out in the field, so he'd headed back to the station with the bots trailing after him like lost puppies. Once he got out of his space suit and into the station, he'd found out that many of his coworkers had been watching from the observation lounge's big window, laughing their butts off. The next day, a crude sign with "The Pied Piper Lives Here" was attached to the door of his quarters.

He liked being on this side of the station, facing some rock faces and the equipment that kept their settlement running. Most people wanted to be on the other side of the station which faced a more "scenic" view of some mountains, the horticultural dome, and no functioning mechanical devices.

Three tall wind turbines rotated a little further in the distance, almost blending into the landscape due to the rusty Mars dust that covered every square inch. Turbine number three's rotation appeared slightly off. This would need to be handled in the next couple weeks. No! No, he was not going to worry about work today. He was going to relax.

He lifted his bed into the closet against the wall, closed the doors, shutting the bed inside, opening up some floor space and making the room feel almost spacious. Shoving the mug back into the machine to be steam cleaned, he started pulling on some clothes.

It was nice not having specific plans for the day, no schedule to keep. Maybe he should have followed Julie's advice and done this a while ago. He would have a nice relaxing birthday with no fuss or drama.

In the next 12 to 24 hours Earthtime, it would be April 9th, 2840 A.D.

He would be one thousand years old.

TBC

_A/N Little different huh? One thing you can always say, I don't follow the crowd...at least..not very well anyway. LOL!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Charlaine Harris owns all these hot and sexy vampires and yes, I hate her for it. Just kidding!_

_A/N Sometiimes,when you're on a roll, you just gotta keep going. When I dream about a fanfic I'm writing, that's when I know I'm on a roll and to not stop, because it doesn't happen very often._

_Eric, being the pushy Viking he is, found his way into the outline for this story. We will not be seeing his pov though. This is Bill's story to tell._

_8888888888888888888888888888_

"Testing…testing…Jason..is this thing working?" The gray haired man at the head of the conference table tapped the smooth round device sitting in the middle and looked back at the young man sitting behind him with ear buds in place, typing on the computer. There was a reassuring nod. "Alright, let's get started." He looked around the dimly lit conference room. "Has everyone been introduced yet?" Once everyone nodded in the affirmative, he poured himself a glass of water from the sweating pitcher in front of him and sat back in his seat.

"Very good. As you all know, we're here to evaluate one of the six remaining vampire candidates for the astronaut corp. Just so there is no confusion, this meeting is classified and may not be discussed outside this room. Any information that is needed for NASA files or public release will be handled through my office or the Public Relations office at NASA. Now, we have two members of the behavioral division of the FBI here from Quantico. Due to the potential pitfalls of this program, we requested and were granted assistance from the FBI with regards to checking the backgrounds of the respective candidates. It was felt that the background checks would be too extensive and that our security division at NASA might lack the necessary …ah..expertise. Please, Dana could you go over what has been found thus far?"

Dana stood up in front of the large screen for her presentation. She was a small, almost petite woman with radiant red hair that brushed her shoulders. She spoke in a confident and straight forward manner. "Good day everyone. I'm going to do a run down of the bullet points for this candidate as well as point out any potential issues that may require further study. Please feel free to ask me questions at any time or request clarification if needed. Alright, let's go…"

She gestured casually towards the large screen as photos and documents started flickering across it. "Here, we have a scanned document displaying the birth record of vampire candidate William Thomas Compton, born April 9th, 1840. While he possesses a birth certificate, social security card, and passport, they are dated incorrectly and he admits were obtained fraudulently while the vampires were still in hiding. He has presented evidence of his true age and identity: a baptismal certificate, a family bible verifying his date of birth, and the date of death that his living family entered . They have been confirmed by a document expert to be from the correct time period and the other entries have been validated. Several 19th century tin type photographs have also been examined by the labs here at Quantico and verified as being photographs of this candidate. As the files in front of you show, he fought in the American Civil War on the Confederate side in the Louisiana infantry. He has been interviewed about his military service, regarding battles, names of commanders, fellow soldiers, etc. I don't think I have to inform you all that here in Virginia, there is no shortage of Civil War experts (there was some light chuckling at the table over this comment), so we've been able to confirm that everything he has told us regarding his service is accurate and true to the best of our knowledge. One of our agents in the New Orlean's field office also checked archives in parishes all over Louisiana and discovered photos of the candidate while he was serving. They have also photographed all the tombstones of his human family, most of whom are buried near his home and compared this information against what he's given us"

"I'm seeing here he had a family?" the gray haired man asked, peering down his bifocals at the file in front of him.

"Yes, his mother, his sister and his wife were still living and there were 2 young children when he was turned." She flipped a page in the file in front of her."There was a 3rd child….a boy..who died when he was barely a year old, after the war. One of the tombstones we discovered belonged to the baby, named Lee." Everyone sat silently for a moment, contemplating this information.

Then a low whistle emanated from the dark room. "Good investigative work," someone commented.

She smiled for the first time since beginning her presentation. "Thank you, the work being done on this case has certainly been challenging due to the extended time frames and the historical records, not to mention primitive filing systems we've been having to deal with…" Some more chuckles, and the sound of ice clattering as a couple people poured themselves water as they listened. "So, as far as our investigative team is concerned, the vampire candidate WAS the human William Thomas Compton, so his identity is considered valid and the personal history from his human life is valid as well."

"Have the fraudulent documents been corrected?" a voice asked.

"Yes, NASA's legal department is working with the Social Security Administration, the state department, Homeland Security, and various government offices regarding correcting his personal records. Since, he wasn't the only vampire candidate who possessed false records, any penalties or charges are being waived. The reason given will be that he voluntarily gave the information and that the vampires, prior to their Great Reveal, would have had no choice but to possess false documents."

"Will the press make an issue out of this…maybe comparing it to illegal immigrants trying to become citizens?" another voice asked.

Another woman's voice spoke from the darkness, "No, since there is no question that Mr. Compton was an American citizen all along, this should not present any problems." Everyone sat back, satisfied with that answer.

Dana picked up a glass of water and took a good swallow before continuing. "Alright, now as to the question of his status since the Great Reveal . He possesses a valid Louisiana state driver's license." A license with the vampire's picture on it lit up the large screen. Even from a driver's license, it was apparent he was handsome, with a serious, narrow face and dark eyes.

"I wish my driver's license photo was that good," someone quipped, which generated some laughter in the room.

Dana continued," He has a clean driving record, no points, no tickets…not even parking tickets. He owns a black Cadillac sedan that's a couple years old and the house he lives in. He claimed the house after the previous owner, a Jesse Compton…died ..leaving no heirs."

"Any potential foul play there?" a suspicious voice asked.

She shook her head. "No, the coroner's report showed Jesse Compton was very old, he had numerous health problems and died as a result of them. It appears he was the last direct descendent of our candidate. Mr. Compton was once the owner of this house, his human father built it. As such, he had legal claim to the property and the deed was filed in his name after he went through the proper court procedures." She pressed a button on the laptop in front of her and a picture of a two story elegant 19th house appeared with a modern looking carport next to it.

"What about other properties?" someone asked.

"We're still checking into that. He claims this is the only property he owns for living in. As to business properties, he owns a small strip mall on the outskirts of Bon Temps." Another picture popped up showing a modest strip mall that could be anywhere in the USA. She looked down at her notes," It has a eat in restaurant called Lalaurie's, a hair salon called Clip N Curl, and a woman's clothing store called Tara's Togs. His business records have been checked by the IRS. He has an accountant who has filed the taxes correctly since he purchased the strip mall, so there are no problems there.

"Has anyone talked to his tenants to see how they feel about him?" a voice asked.

"Yes, our field agents spoke with the owners of each business. All of them stated he was a polite, business like landlord and none of them reported any kind of conflict with him.

"What did local law enforcement have to say? In a town this small…." The voice trailed off.

"We interviewed the Bon Temps Sheriff and his deputies. While the sheriff was blunt about how he felt regarding vampires in general….he also admitted that our candidate had been a model citizen and he had received no complaints regarding him. The only problems he's had is dealing with the various anti-vampire groups who've come around stirring up trouble. "

" An interesting aside, one of the officers there is a descendent of our candidate, through his daughter….an Andrew Bellefleur. When he was asked by the field agent how he felt regarding the character of our candidate, he said and I quote," if you had seen how careful and tenderly he held my baby daughter, you wouldn't ask such a fool question" unquote. He became a bit belligerent with the field agent. Actually, this was something we ran into with a number of people there. While a fair number of them don't like vampires in general, many of them seemed to feel quite protective of our candidate and viewed us with suspicion. He even has a couple nicknames, Vampire Bill and VB were the most common."

"I'm from the South and that's major acceptance…having a nickname," a voice drawled from the darkness, drawing amused snickers from everyone in the room.

"The overall impression that the field agents came away with was someone who is reserved but friendly, and lives quietly. He interacts regularly with locals, hanging out at a local bar called Merlottes, votes in the local elections…he's a registered Democrat by the way…and seems to have integrated himself into the community quite well. He's dated a couple local women for extended periods of time."

"Fangbangers?" someone asked.

"Not exactly, one is a successful real estate agent who specializes in vampire properties. She relocated to Arkansas and was interviewed by the Little Rock field office agents. She had nothing negative to say about our candidate and said their parting was amicable. The other is a waitress at the bar I mentioned, Merlottes, apparently they were together for the good part of a year. When interviewed she said pretty much the same thing and that she considered the candidate to be a good friend and neighbor. "

"So far so good," the gray haired man said. "He sounds pretty boring, that's what we want. What else have you discovered regarding his income or any occupations?"

"Well, we have uncovered something rather interesting that was not volunteered by the candidate. Most of you are familiar with the Vampire Database?" There were nods from around the table. When the database had become available, it had been snatched up by every government agency that existed, and some that officially didn't. "One of our vampire interview subjects let slip that our candidate was the one who designed and created it." Gasps erupted from around the table.

"I've seen the database," a voice offered. "It's massive. It would take decades and decades to compile."

"Apparently it did," Dana confirmed." Mr. Compton did the entire database on his own, after learning about computers, and has been selling it at various vampire venues as well as online ever since. Our friends at the IRS have verified his income reporting on this project. Apparently, he doesn't receive most of the money, only a portion from some other vampires he's in business with. Whether they sponsored the project or something we're not sure. One is a prominent businessman, a Felipe de Castro, he owns a publishing house, entertainment company, and casino in Las Vegas. The other is a Shreveport businessman named Eric Northman, who also happens to be one of the references given by our candidate."

"This is important, it demonstrates incredible initiative, creativity, adaption to new technology, and an ability to operate independently, which is relevant to our search here," the gray haired man pointed out. There were murmurs of agreement from around the table, several people were scribbling notes in their file copies. "Please make sure he's questioned on this. We need to be sure there isn't something unsavory attached to this database," he added, glancing over his bifocals at the woman sitting next to him. She nodded and made a note in her file. "Were your agents able to confirm his claim that the vampire who made him is finally deceased?"

"Yes,"Dana replied."This fact is listed in the database actually. Her name was Lorena Ball and her status was listed as killed by person or persons unknown. We've verified through three other sources that she is in fact, dead. We are comfortable with this intelligence and feel it is accurate."

"Very good," the gray haired man nodded, and made another note. "From what I've been hearing, it appears this is probably our leading candidate."

"There's still the slavery question," a woman's voice interjected."Were your agents able to confirm his claim that he never owned any slaves?"

"While the agents were combing the archives all over Louisiana, they were looking at slave ownership records specifically. We can find no records displaying that your candidate ever owned slaves. "

"What about any violent history? Murders etc?" the woman asked.

"We can find no credible charges or claims regarding your candidate involving murder charges or violence against humans. However…." And here she paused, took another drink and seemed to be debating how to express herself. "However, it is the bureau's view , that given the very long time frame and the situation the vampires would have been In back then, we find it highly unlikely that a vampire would have NOT killed at some point during their life. It would have been impossible. We have verified that vampires who have humans they feed on regularly, often still drink synthetic blood throughout the night as well. When you combine a naturally predatory nature…well..our behavioral department feels that any vampire of a certain age has to have killed humans. As to how that should be dealt with…that's up to you."

The gray haired man nodded,"We've come to the same conclusion as well and there is discussion on how it's to be handled. But I guess the real issue here is can they avoid killing now? Are they like most predators who won't make the effort to hunt if food is being handed to them, or are they like serial killers who kill compulsively?" Everyone in the room got very quiet. "Dana?"

"There simply hasn't been enough time for us to study the matter," she replied. "On the surface, I'd say they are closer to predators, but to put each vampire into a slot and say they're all the same would be over simplifying the matter. One thing, we have found out is how similar they are to us in that each of them is an individual. They are as different from each other as we humans are. My recommendation? Evaluate each candidate individually and see how their viewpoints and behaviors coincide with the mission objectives. That's really all I can say." And with that, she turned off her laptop and sat down, pouring her glass of water completely full.

"Alright," said the gray haired man. He looked down the table at an older bearded gentleman sporting similar bifocals. "What was the result of some of your tests Doctor?"

The older man cleared his throat and glanced at his notes before speaking."All the vampires did surprisingly well at the bases in Antarctica. Each was sent individually, since the vampire who is selected for this mission will be alone amongst humans, this was considered an important part of the test. They were down there during the South Pole winter when it's continually dark. It was felt this replicated conditions they would experience in space the best. One surprise is that even though they could stay awake almost the entire time if they wanted to…most of them chose to still sleep at least 4-5 hours per 24 hours cycle..usually during what would be considered "midday". And they didn't sleep like they normally do. Instead, they slept more like humans do and they could be awakened when needed. Their emotional reactions to the conditions varied drastically however, depending on the individual.

"What about this candidate doctor?"

"He did very well, as it turns out.

_abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz_

Bill straightened the fake flower leis piled around his neck and took another sip of his synthetic blood. The chanting around him grew as loud as the Hawaiian shirts everyone, including him, were wearing. Peter had placed one foot up on a chair, held a lighter as close to his backside as possible, and gritted his teeth. His bearded face frowned with concentration. The drunken chanting stopped for a moment and everyone focused avidly on the geologist's butt. A loud fart and a bright burst of flame jetted out into the room. Cheers rang up and more shots were tipped back as a couple other scientists high fived.

Everyone looked at Bill. Once he had explained to his disappointed coworkers that vampires can't fart, he had become the default judge for this little competition.

"Well?" Peter asked, spreading his hands wide, his expression expectant.

"I am sorry Peter. I think Jeff's was bigger," Bill announced apologetically. Peter deflated, utterly disappointed with this judgement and more cheers and a few boos rang out amongst the little crowd of drunken doctorates.

When this position at the bottom of the world had been explained to him, he had been warned about boredom, tedious tasks, disorientation regarding time, irritation with co-workers who could not be avoided in such tight quarters and the dangers of letting all the above get to him. The Concordia station in Antarctica only kept a couple dozen scientists on staff during the constantly dark winter months. Once the final supply plane left, they were on their own for months with no possibility of getting out or anyone getting to them in an emergency. With temperatures ranging from minus 20 degrees on a balmy day to minus 70 degrees on a cold one, leaving the base became impossible even for a vampire. His flesh would freeze just like a human's, even if he didn't die from it.

He knew there had to be at least one or two moles on the station watching him for any signs of instability. But unlike humans, being in constant darkness was normal for him and being in enclosed quarters didn't affect him quite as strongly. Once you get used to sleeping in a coffin, claustrophobia eases away on its own. On days when the temperature was borderline and even the humans could creep outside for a little bit, he'd bundle up like everyone else and go outside to stretch his legs. They were fascinated watching him run back and forth, taking bets on how fast he was going and someone would clock him as he ran to various beacons and equipment sheds checking them for damage.

Any form of entertainment became important, which is how he'd ended up wearing a Hawaiian shirt, fake flowers and judging a fart lighting contest. It was remarkable that these were the same individuals who would work seven days a week, sometimes for extended hours until their projects were done. These scientists took their work very seriously.

And they took their drinking even more seriously.

Eric had warned him that some of his co workers would probably be drunk almost all winter. Bill hadn't believed him, but now he did. When he had asked Eric "how do you know?" Eric had replied, "What did you think we Vikings used to do all winter? We drank, we screwed, told stories, carved, and played with our kids." Bill restrained himself from asking if they did all these things at the same time. It would explain a lot. During the same conversation, Bill had wondered aloud about going without fresh blood and sex for several months. Eric had told him not to worry. Within a month or so, he'd have willing partners, no matter their proclivities in their regular lives.

His sheriff had been right about that too. After a couple drunken parties, Bill had received offers. At first, he'd been reluctant to accept offers to drink from his drunken co workers, wondering if this was some kind of test. But after a couple more weeks, he couldn't say no anymore. The temptation was too great and the vampire inside him was screaming for fresh blood. If he was kicked out of the running for doing this, then so be it.

The young man was a biologist working on his doctorate, studying the traces of life that managed to exist in extreme environments like the South Pole. He told Bill he was merely curious. He added that he'd never done anything like this before. Bill nodded, having heard this sort of thing before and unable to take his eyes off the vein throbbing in the young man's neck. Holding back had been very difficult, but he managed. The fatigue that had been weighing on his limbs disappeared and he felt like himself again. He gently held the young man's body close to his, feeling his rapid heartbeat, excited panting, and the warm erection pressed into him. The third time the young man came to his cramped little quarters, he let Bill do more than just drink blood.

By the end of his little Antarctica tour, he had arrangements with four people on the station( one woman, three men). His schedule was regular, he completed 9 out of 10 of the specific projects he'd been given, and he hadn't lost his mind or hurt anyone. When he was debriefed regarding his stay, he freely admitted feeding on willing co workers, but refused to give out their names. One of the rules of Concordia was What Happens in Antarctica, Stays in Antarctica. He was passed to the next level.

_abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz_

Bill finished listening to his messages. There was nothing earth shattering amongst them. There were a couple different things he knew he wanted to do for his birthday. He would go outside the habitats and visit the graves of some of the original settlers. It had been a while and he felt it should be done. Displaying respect for the honored dead had stuck with him from his human life. And some of them had been his friends.

But first, he would go have a little fun. He rarely got to spend any time in the horticulture dome unless he was there to fix equipment. He missed plants, taking care of them, fussing over them…the human farmer he had once been eons ago still raised his weary head once in a while and quietly requested a little time with nature. And the dome possessed the only nature on this planet….for now.

If the humans had their way, that wouldn't last much longer.

But he wasn't going to think about projects or goals or any other nonsense today. He would just relax and do what he wanted to do. He wore a loose fiber shirt and pants that had come in on the last supply ship. Slipping his shoes on his feet, and his Com pad in his pocket, he was ready to go. He locked the door behind him from habit and made his way down the corridor. Now that they had sensors that could detect any dangerous radiation or solar flares etc with great accuracy, living quarters could be placed along the outside ring of the station. This allowed for windows and of course a view for the tourists, who after paying exorbitant amounts of money, expected them. Bill's quarters were located with other operational personnel, but his room was larger due to his seniority and status on the station.

The station was made up of numerous domes, tubes, and more domes of various sizes. Even with current technology, it made more sense to build with dome structures. Their basic framework could be sent from Earth folded up, then blown up like a tent. At that point, they would take a chemical ( that was shipped with the tent), mix it with Mars dirt, then pile it up around the fabric by hand. The layering had to be done by "feel" and robots couldn't do it. It was old fashioned building construction, but it worked. Once the dirt solidified, it looked like stucco, but was a hundred times stronger and blended into the Mars landscape so well they were actually difficult to spot from a distance. So far, the domes had also shown excellent resilience to the massive dust storms that still plagued Mars.

He walked through automatic airlocks into the public part of the station. This section of the station was over two stories high, with the center section opened up, with various businesses, shops lined up along the sides on the two stories. The second story had a walkway that ran all the way around with open handrails, like fencing. It resembled an old fashioned shopping mall. The center section had sky lights that were now slowly closing since they sensed the sunlight dying outside. The idea was to have an area on the station that felt wide open, so the humans wouldn't feel so claustrophobic all the time. It also allowed for large gatherings like musical entertainment, theatre, speeches and the like. With over 200 people on the station at any point, it was useful having a large open space. It was called The Mezzanine.

Several of the tubes ran off of this section like spokes on a wheel. The tube that ran to the administrative offices was to his left. He hustled by it, to avoid being stopped by an underling with a question. The tube he was aiming for was next to the arrival and departure area for the ship that had set down this day. Even in his quarters he had been able to hear it. The humans had to come a couple hundred meters from the ship to what was called the reception area, but was more like a quarantine. Even though each person had endured a complete physical and been tested for disease, they would be checked again before being allowed past that air lock.

He could see them eagerly looking through the glass towards the Mezzanine. Shop owners poked their heads out from their establishments hopefully. They wanted to grab the tourists when they walked through the door, with cabin fever and their newly exchanged Mars currency burning a hole in their pocket. They would have been shut up in the ship for over 2 weeks. Even though this was nothing compared to the six months Bill had had to endure, it pushed the limits of a typical human's boredom threshold. Flight attendants on the ship would have tried to keep everyone entertained during the voyage, but once the ship landed, the novelty was gone and the passengers were ready to get the hell out and step on to Mars.

He hesitated. A human he'd had a regular arrangement with was leaving on the ship when it took off in 12 hours. Since he wouldn't be feeding on him and he didn't know what the tourists would be like, maybe he should have another Syn. Backtracking , he headed to one of the bars on the upper story (there were 5 bars on the station, 4 legitimate and 1 the station manager and Bill pretended they didn't know about).

The bar was called O'Toole's even though the owner wasn't of Irish descent and his name was Harold Smith. It had no window since some service vents ran behind its back wall. It wasn't very large, but it did have one interesting feature. The bar was set into the middle of the establishment with the patrons seated around it, and it had a real wood veneer with wood molding on its top. Bill couldn't imagine how expensive it must have been, but it had paid off for the owner. The rest of the establishment's surfaces were treated to look like wood, but having real wood on the bar created a warmth that couldn't be done any other way. The patrons would sit for hours at the bar, nursing their drinks and caressing the surface fondly. On the walls were the usual large animated panels with earth news and the local Mars news as well. Every once in a while, Bill would forget and call them televisions, causing much hilarity amongst his co workers.

He slid onto his favorite stool and nodded at the owner who was working. Since Bill frequented his bar regularly, the owner kept a small stash of Tru-Blood Classic stocked in his cooling units. Not the powdered mix that needed water added to it like Bill had in his quarters, but the bottled on earth real stuff. It was expensive and Bill couldn't afford to drink it all the time, especially when he could drink real blood whenever he wanted. But feeding in front of people, while it was no longer illegal, was seen as crass and rude. So, when he wanted to have a drink and socialize, he'd head over to O'Toole's.

"Be with you in a minute Bill," Harold said. Bill gestured that it was fine, watching the bartender prepping some drinks that were clearly meant for the tourists, who were about to explode from the quarantine section. It was called The Red Line, and consisted of 6 shots of God knows what red liquor lined up on a white plate, with a round lollypop that looked like Mars sitting at the end. Bill thought it looked absurd, but the younger humans seemed to like it. They would down a shot, then suck the candy, then down a shot, then suck the candy. Apparently, the flavor of the liquor accented the lollypop and vice versa. Harold placed his old fashioned sandwich board near the opening of the bar, and wrote "Can you do the Red Line? Come try Mars Signature drink! Ladies specials!"

Bill had to chuckle. "Harold, does that sign really work? I didn't know humans even noticed old signs like that anymore."

Harold laughed as he reached into the cooler for Bill's drink."Damn right it works! Everyone else uses fancier gimmicks and holograms, but the novelty of that stupid sign gets them every time." He poured a warmed portion of the synthetic blood into Bill's glass (usually used for scotch, and clear so he could see the color), and placed the bottle on a warming pad so the rest of the blood wouldn't cool while Bill was sipping from his glass. It was a courtesy Bill appreciated.

"Thank you Harold," Bill said. "I'm surprised they don't just trip over it."

"Don't you dare jinx me!" Harold laughed, wagging a finger at Bill and moving on to one of his other customers.

Bill sat comfortably, enjoying his drink and watching people going to and fro. When he heard some hubbub coming from the quarantine, he knew it was time to go. The tourists would be piling in and some of them were bound to know who he was and would want their image taken with him. Like clockwork, four young women bounded into the bar wanting to try "Mar's Signature Drink". Harold gave Bill a smug glance before tending to them, helping them count out the Mars coins, which were stamped out of lightweight recycled metals, with computer chips imbedded in them.

He slid past the young women. One of them observed him out of the corner of her eye, giving him a wink. He was confident he'd be getting to see a lot more of her before she left. But right now, they were too high strung with cabin fever and he'd rather wait until they had done some touristy things and settled down a bit.

Entering his security code and flashing his Com pad on the tube that led to the horticulture dome, he reflected on this. As he'd gotten older, he just had less patience with young adult hijinks. He hoped it wasn't a sign. When he got to the end of the tube, he held his hand against the sensor. It recognized his hands structure and fingerprints. The door opened.

The humidity level in this section of the station was much higher due to the plants and the moisture they needed. Partially processed waste water was also cycled through this section, both watering the plants and cleaning the water further. He physically inhaled the air as he walked in, it was so different. The smells of the various plants like herbs, some fruits, and various vegetables..not to mention the stock plant that was grown specifically for the station.

It was a genetically designed plant that looked like..well.. a weed and it grew like one. It didn't mind sharing pots with other plants, or not being fed very well, and the dim Mar's sun was just dandy. Once it was grown, it was ground up, infused with various vitamins and minerals. It didn't pretend to be anything but what it was, processed food. So it was sold in various colors, sold like crunchy crackers, and chewy nibs. It could be mixed with milk (there were goats on the station and condensed milk came in on every ship), and served hot like porridge or cold like cereal. It kept people alive.

Bill privately called it Syn-food for humans.

The security guard at the entrance nodded at Bill since Bill had told him in advance that he was coming.

Now that the heavy fabric blinds were slowly drawing across the large clear windows since Mars twilight had begun, the artificial lights were kicking on. To avoid wasting energy, they were only used to enhance the natural sunlight that came into the dome from outside. Some plants needed more light than others, and some plants needed more earthlike light spectrums which the artificial lights provided.

Most of the workers were leaving for the day, so it was quiet and Bill would have most of the dome to himself which was perfect. He headed for the tomatoes.

Fragile botanical fruits, they hung upside down alongside vertical strands of cording, in their hydroponic slurry of nutrients, otherwise known as waste and manure. They needed constant tending since the time, energy, and water needed to grow them could not afford to be wasted. Bruised, fallen fruit was considered a failure, so fruit that was getting heavy for their branches had little netted bags slung under them and attached to a stronger branch above. Bill had snagged a spool of synthetic thread with a handful of little bags and busied himself tying up heavier fruit he spotted. Rather than using a tool, he just used his fangs to cut the thread instead. This was a constant unending task for the workers in this section. They would appreciate the assistance.

It was peaceful, with the dim Mars twilight still seeping through the sky lights. The various equipment turned on and off. A clank here, a whoosh over there were the only noises interrupting Bill's thoughts. He deliberately breathed, inhaling the ripening fruit, the green stems, and even the manure smell was welcome. His mind wandered and for a few minutes, he didn't think of anything but the plants in front of him. It was almost like being back on the farm, working a field only there were no birds singing and no hot sun on his back.

His Com pad buzzed.

"Shit," he blurted.

This had better be important. He set his implements down and took the pad out of his pocket. "Yes?"he asked, letting his irritation show in his voice.

"Um, sir…Mr. Compton?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"This is Freddy down at the dock. Ah, I'm really REALLY sorry to bother you sir, I know this is your day off and Julie said that…."

"WHAT is it? " Bill interrupted.

"We need your assistance at the ship sir. We have a vampire passenger who is …well..he's having trouble and we think it would be best if another vampire …."

Bill rolled his eyes since he didn't have the imaging activated on the pad. "You can't handle it?"

"Well, he's kind of old and …well..he's agitated and we're concerned what might happen if we try to force him off the ship. The pilot said he has a schedule to keep and they can't get the ship prechecks done with him still on board. Everyone else has been unloaded sir. I'm really sorry sir, I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't….."

"I'll be right there," Bill said and clicked off.

He couldn't believe it. They hadn't had a vampire visitor for months, why today of all days? "Kind of old", Bill rolled his eyes again. Freddy thought all vampires were "kind of old". Unfortunately, Bill was obligated to deal with it since even an young vampire could cause considerable damage to the ship, which the station would be required to pay for.

Bill marched out of the peaceful space, setting down the spool and bags on his way. He marched down the tube, past excited tourists in the Mezzanine, into the quarantine area and up to a very apologetic Freddy.

"Again, I'm SO SORRY sir," he babbled as he waved the passenger manifest in Bill's direction.

Bill simply waved his hand away, not hiding his irritation. "Where is he?"

"He's in his quarters, the one designated for vampires." Freddy replied quietly.

The security guards walked Bill down the long tube to the ship. Once they got to the entrance, they nodded to Bill and stood back. Bill climbed in and walked down the cramped "hallway" towards the passenger cabins. When he got to the cabin, he stopped and knocked.

"Hello? This is Bill Compton, I'm here to assist you," he called out. He didn't have to worry about them knowing he was a vampire. All vampires who came to Mars knew who he was. There was no answer. He tensed and readied himself in case the vampire was agitated enough to jump him. All the vampires who visited Mars were younger than him, but the older ones had the worst time adjusting. He had to be on his guard, but his comfort with the Mars gravity gave him an advantage if he had to fight them.

He pressed the override for the doorlock and it hissed open. A half remembered scent drifted out. Leaning in carefully, he peeked around the corner into the dark cabin. "Hello? I'm here to help. Please speak to me."

"Bill?" A deep voice trembled from the back corner of the cabin.

If Bill had been human he would have fainted.

"Eric?"

"Yes"

Bill stood frozen in the doorway, stunned. Well, this explained why he hadn't heard from Eric in a couple weeks, although the ship had communication and Eric could have told him he was coming. What the hell?

"What are you doing here?" Bill blurted out.

Silence, then the deep voice spoke again. "Bill, can you help me?"

Bill tried to remember the last time Eric had ever asked him for help. He tried to remember if he'd ever heard or seen Eric afraid. He'd seen Eric jump into a fighting mass of more powerful vampires, yelling defiantly, with a smile surrounding gleaming fangs. And while Bill was trying to get his brain around this, Eric spoke again.

"Bill? Please help me"

He was definitely agitated and on a hair trigger. For reasons no one understood, the younger vampires had an easier time adjusting to the Mars gravity and its lack of a magnetic field. Bill was used to it because he'd lived on Mars for so long, but older vampires found it completely disorienting and distressing. No vampire over Bill's age had ever visited Mars in the history of its occupation, much less one Eric's age.

Reminding himself he wasn't a young vampire anymore and he could handle himself in this gravity, Bill focused on the task at hand. "I'll help you, please come near the doorway," Bill urged. He didn't want to go into the dark tightly enclosed cabin. This would give Eric an advantage in an altercation.

"I can't."

"Yes you can, just move really slowly. I know the gravity feels odd," Bill said gently.

He could see Eric's tall figure move awkwardly towards the doorway. He braced himself, just in case.

Reaching his hands out, he felt the Vikings large hands slide into his, grasping with a death grip. He needed to keep talking. "You're doing fine, just keep walking slowly. I'll hold onto you." He backed up slowly and Eric followed. It was a good thing there were no humans on the ship right now. This was a protocol they'd come up with years ago, after a bad situation with an older vamp.

He drew Eric into the lighted hallway. His blue eyes were very wide and darting around like a trapped animal. The long golden hair was mussed and tumbled along one side of the Viking's face. He looked the same as the last time Bill had seen him. Bill chided himself. Well of COURSE he looked the same, he was a vampire too. Bill was having trouble thinking logically at the moment since he was still recovering from his surprise at seeing Eric here. He had a dozen questions, but they would have to wait.

"Here, take my arm," Bill offered, sticking his arm out for Eric to hold. "I'll walk you to your quarters. Once you've rested a bit, you'll feel much better." After 24hours, most vampires started calming down and couple days after that, they were usually able to move about almost normally. Fortunately, Mar's rotated at a speed similar to earth, so they worked off a 24hour clock (approximately) . There were just more of them since it took almost twice as long to orbit the sun as earth did.

"Can I go to your quarters with you?" Eric asked, throwing Bill for another loop.

"Yes, of course," he heard himself answer.

They started inching along. Bill felt like he was helping an old man cross the street, but he kept his comments to himself. He couldn't take Eric through the Mezzanine like this. Calling the security guards on duty, he advised them he'd be passing through restricted areas. There were back ways around the station that were only used by operations personnel. Technically, it was against the rules for anyone else to be in them, but compared to the potential danger of having Eric go past all the hyped up tourists, this made more sense to Bill.

Finally, they made it to his hallway and his room. He flipped the bed down immediately and lowered Eric onto it. He'd forgotten the window. Mar's twilight lasted much longer than earth's due to the high altitude dust. Even though the sun looked like someone holding a flashlight over the horizon, Eric flinched away from the window.

"Caroline, please seal the windows right now," Bill commanded.

"Yes Bill" the computer answered and the blinds started unfolding and drawing across the window immediately. Once the room was completely blocked in and Bill had turned on a couple small lights, Eric started to relax.

"Please heat up some Syn for me please, Caroline…type O…"Bill said after thinking for a second. Once it was ready, he pushed the warm mug into Eric's hands. He sat in his favorite chair, observing the vampire who had once been his sheriff, although they hadn't been called that for centuries.

Now that the room was enclosed and barely lit, Eric seemed to be relaxing on the bed.

"Are you feeling better?" Bill asked politely, not wanting to push.

"Yes, thank you," Eric answered, taking a sip of Syn. He smacked his lips together a bit, looking down at the mug. He looked up at Bill with a question.

"It's the dried mix, but I've modified the machine, so it comes out much better." He smiled.

"Thank you," Eric repeated. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Bill tried to remember when he'd ever heard Eric apologize. He was becoming buried in surprises this evening. Now, that Eric was calmer, he decided to ask the big question.

"It's fine Eric," Bill soothed. "But…what are you doing here?"

There was a bit of sparkle twinkling from the blue eyes.

"You didn't think I'd miss your one thousandth birthday did you?" Eric smiled, smirking like the old days.

So much for having a quiet, uneventful birthday.

TBC

_888888888888888888888_

_A/N, I realize this story jumps a bit. It's totally on purpose, and I've tried to create breaks in between sections, but this site has trouble with this and I often don't realize the breaks aren't there until the chapter is posted for everyone to see. Sorry about that. I've also noticed that sometimes entire words get dropped when I post chapters, not much I can do about that, hopefully nothing important goes missing. _

_Thanks for your support btw, I was so happy to see such enthusiastic reviews on the first chapter _


	3. Chapter 3

_Charlaine Harris owns these characters and the universe they live in...well maybe not the entire universe. _

_A/N I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. It's always great when chapters feel like they're writing themselves. I was laid off from my full time job a week ago, so I actually have more time to write, in between looking for another job and dealing with some stupid medical garbage. So right now, this is the only major fun thing going on! LOL! Ah well, life always has a way of working itself doesn't it? _

_enjoy!_

_888888888888888888888888888_

Field Report by Special Agent Albert Brune

Transcription of interview subject the vampire known as Eric Northman , alias Eric The Northman, or Eric the Viking

Interview subject has been listed as a vampire reference by the candidate William Thomas Compton. A general observation report is listed first, with the complete report on the last page. For any questions, please reach me at the FBI's New Orlean's field.

The following interview was conducted at the subject's place of business since he refused to come to the Shreveport Police Department's administrative offices. I was accompanied by my partner, Special Agent Denise Nardelli, and two of the Shreveport Police Department's vampire officers. This was to avoid the possibility of the subject influencing either myself or my partner in any way to alter the outcome of the interview. I took the approved list of questions forwarded to me by the FBI's behavioral lab in Quantico.

The subject's business is a vampire bar called Fangtasia, located at the end of a large strip mall that possesses several big box stores and a couple smaller businesses. It was the middle of the week, just after 8pm and was not busy when we entered. The primary elements that make it stand out inside are various vampire movie pictures on the walls, and a gift shop. Most of the clientele are younger people dressed in the style often referred to as Goth or as pretend vampires. There were a few tourists in the gift shop. Our vampire police escorts informed us later that there had been 5 actual vampires in the establishment, counting our interview subject.

We were shown into a back office and seated. Once we informed the subject that the interview was being recorded, we began. I conducted the interview myself. The subject spoke plainly, but several times refused to answer questions that he deemed too personal for himself or legally questionable regarding the candidate. He did not volunteer information, but instead stuck to the specifics of each question I presented.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me Mr. Northman "

"You're welcome"

"Do you understand why I am here today?"

"Why don't you explain it to me."

"William Compton has listed you as a reference for his application to the vampire astronaut corp. You are aware of this?"

"yes"

"He has stated that he has known you most of his life since he was Turned and that you two have worked together in the past. Is this correct?"

"Yes"

"Please realize that this interview is to get a better idea of who the candidate is and whether he's suited for the astronaut corp. It's not meant to be judgmental nor is it going to lead to any form of criminal investigation."

"Very well"

"Alright, let's start at the beginning. Can you give me an approximate date of when you first met Mr. Compton?"

"Not really, but it was late 19th century. "

"Can you tell me anything about it?"

"No, because I honestly don't remember. We met in passing. I had no reason to take note. Plus, he was still with his Maker at the time."

"Can you tell me anything about her?"

"She was a bitch."

"Ah….alright…could you expound on that? "

"She was a miserable bitch and we're all the better for her being finally dead."

"Could you give me specific examples of why this is?"

"She couldn't be trusted. She was ruthless even towards allies. She'd turn on you in the wink of an eye and she was emotionally obsessive and unstable. And she treated Bill Compton badly."

"How so?"

" I won't go into specifics, but primarily because she was obsessed with him and wouldn't allow him to leave her."

"But Mr. Compton wanted to leave?"

"Yes. I'm sure your FBI has studied us vampires to some extent and discovered that Turned vampires don't stay with their Makers very long."

"Yes, we have actually noticed that. It appears they don't stay much longer than 5 years or so. Is that about right?"

"Yes, it is."

"May I ask why that is?"

"It would be similar to a young man growing up in his mother's house, never marrying, and continuing to live with his mother as he got older. This society frowns upon such an arrangement, yes?"

"Yes, it's viewed as being unhealthy unless there's a specific reason the man needs to be there. Are you saying that vampires who stay with their Makers too long are viewed as unhealthy?"

"No, I'm saying that the arrangement is viewed as unusual and abnormal. Except in rare occasions, it results in both vampires being unhappy."

"And you're saying that Bill and his Maker …a Lorena Ball…were in such a relationship?"

"Yes"

"its odd then, that this Lorena wouldn't allow Mr. Compton to leave if they were so unhappy."

"Like I said, she was obsessed with him. Haven't you ever seen people stay in relationships that were destructive?"

"All too often I'm afraid. So, do you know how long they were together?"

"You haven't asked Bill this question?"

"I'm asking you."

"They were together…oh…about 50 years or so. By the time the Great Depression hit, he had shook her loose."

"Was he happier after that?"

"He seemed to be. I never asked."

"Then how did you know?"

"He's reserved, even for a vampire, but there's a definite difference between him being miserable or being content. I've been observing people for a very long time. He was relatively young. I could tell."

"I see. We were advised that Lorena has met her final death. Can you confirm this information?"

"To the best of my knowledge, she has met her final death, yes."

"Did you see her die or her remains?"

"I can't answer that. "

"I see. Very well, has ever expressed any regret regarding Lorena meeting her final death?"

"No"

"Would you say he's happy about it?"

"No, he's relieved that she's gone."

"Would you say he hated her?"

"Not exactly"

"Given what you've told me, it sounds like he would have reasons to hate her."

"He does, but hating one's Maker is like hating one's human parents. Even if your parents were poor…they're still your parents. Understand?"

"Yes, I think I do. So, in your opinion he's relieved she's gone."

"It's not just my opinion. He's told me so. He's relieved he never has to deal with her again. He never has to worry about her showing up and interfering in his life. "

"Mr. Northman, in your opinion, if Lorena were still alive …so to speak…would she have interfered with him applying for the astronaut corp?"

"Bill never would have bothered applying."

"I see. Would you say that due to this abnormal relationship with his Maker, that Mr. Compton has been impacted emotionally?"

"What do you mean?"

" I mean, has his social behavior or his ability to interact with others been affected."

"There's no way to know that since I would have had to have known him when he was human and …really..there's no way to know. He keeps to himself mostly. He likes working on his own, but he's never displayed any displeasure when he has to work with others."

"So, you wouldn't say that he dislikes being around people?"

"Not at all, I'm just saying he seems to prefer a quiet life."

"Do you know if he's ever lived in a ….I believe it's called a nest?"

"Not for any significant period of time. Vampires might stay in nests as guests, but that's not the same thing."

"I see, thank you….okay…ah..I'd appreciate it if you could explain the nature of your relationship with Mr. Compton."

"What do you need to know?"

"How would you describe your relationship? "

"Do you mean are we friends or lovers?" (sound of laughter)

"Are you?"

"No, we're not lovers." (sound of laughter)

"But you're friends?"

"Not really, not by vampire standards."

"What do you mean?"

"Humans use the word friend very lightly."

"So, vampires do not…"

"No, we don't. Bill would be more along the lines of an acquaintance or a work colleague. We get along when we need to, but we don't spend any of our casual free time together. "

"I see. Do you trust him?"

" I trust him as much as any other vampire I do business with."

"That's a little vague."

"Then what are you really asking me? Be specific or don't ask. I am very old. I have watched the centuries come and go. Generations of humans born, live and die. I haven't gotten to this point by being careless with my emotions or by trusting someone because they're polite to my face."

" I apologize Mr. Northman if I have offended you. That was not my intention."

"I'm not offended. I'm irritated. Your human life is very short, why waste time beating around the bush? Get to the point. What is it exactly you want to know?"

"The focus here is whether Mr. Compton can be trusted to fulfill mission objectives, be honest with his crewmates so they feel they can trust him, and that he can be trusted to not become unstable once he's in space with them. A lot hinges on this. If he turns out to not be who we believe him to be and something happens, it would destroy decades of work and hundreds of millions of dollars would go down the drain. One of the greatest endeavors the human race has ever attempted to be in jeopardy. Indeed, the entire human race could be affected. "

"See, now was that so hard?" (sound of laughter)

"I'm glad you think this is funny."

"The day I lose the ability to laugh is the day I meet the sun, don't take it personally, although I was laughing at you and not your question. To answer your question: as long as I have known Bill he has shown himself to be hard working, diligent, and focused with regards to work. If he takes on a job, he will do it to the best of his ability. As to honesty…well..he'll be as honest with his crewmates as they are with him. But then, that's true of anyone don't you think?"

"There, now was that so hard?"

"You're funny. They were smart to send you." (sound of laughter)

"What about his stability?"

"I have no idea what would happen in space. How could I predict that? But I will say that he is a steady vampire. I have seen him stand firm when other vampires were losing their nerve."

"Can you give me examples of what you're talking about?"

"No, I will not."

"Alright then…well..it sounds like you respect him."

"He shows me respect , I give it in return. We're no different than humans that way. We have to live with each other for a very long time, so our survival depends on getting along."

"It's odd to me then that you two aren't friends."

"Well, he doesn't like me."

"Why?"

"He says I'm an arrogant, ruthless, money grubbing Viking." (sound of laughter)

"Are you?"

"Yes" (sound of laughter)

"Strange then, that he put you down as a reference, don't you think?"

"Liking someone and respecting them is two different things."

"So, he may not like you, but he respects you."

"Yes, it's the primary reason we get along. I deal with him fairly with regards to business and I don't abuse our relationship."

"And what has he done for you?"

"He has done work for me in the past and stood by me during difficult transitions in the vampire community."

"Can you be more specific about that?"

"No, I will not."

"Let's change gears here a little. What do you think about Mr. Compton's involvement in the space program? Do you support it? Do you think he'll do well?"

"When he told me he was applying for the astronaut program, I told him he was insane. We argued about it for hours."

"Given your relationship, you would have been in a position to stop him?"

"I could have made things difficult for him, yes."

"What changed your mind?"

"He reminded me that there are no dragons on Mars."

"I'm sorry, I'm not following you."

"When I was still human, the general consensus was that the world was flat and if you sailed far enough, you would go off the edge, or being eaten by dragons or some other nonsense. I'm sure to you, it seems very foolish now, but people sincerely believed this. When men boarded ships and headed for the horizon, they had a very realistic belief that they might never see their homes again."

"And yet, they got on the ships anyway."

"Yes, and many of them never came back."

"Forgive me, but I'm seeing here in my file that you were once a Viking? Is this correct?"

"Yes, in my human life I lived amongst the people who are now referred to by historians as Vikings."

"Vikings were early explorers and were amongst the first settlers of North America, so I guess I'm surprised by how you're viewing Mr. Compton's ambitions here."

"Vikings didn't explore for the hell of it. We went looking for land, precious metals, a better life. I googled Mars the other day and it appears to be a massive ball of dusty red dirt. They've already had those little robots walk around and take pictures, so what's the point in going there?"

"Exploring for the sake of discovery doesn't interest you?"

"Not unless there's money in it."

"Speaking of money, I'm seeing here that Mr. Compton has you listed as a proxy for his business affairs while he's off planet. Is this correct?"

"Yes"

"Once a vampire astronaut candidate is announced to the public, he'll become famous. Did that occur to you?"

"It might have." (sound of laughter)

"So, I guess there is money to be made in discovery."

"Oh yes"

"Back to my original question, what do you think about Mr. Compton being an astronaut and his qualifications compared to the other candidates. I take it you are aware who they are?"

"Yes, everyone in the vampire community is aware of it. I know three of the candidates fairly well, the other two not at all."

"And? How do you think Mr. Compton compares?"

"Very well. I think if they're determined to have a vampire go into space, they'll be lucky to have him. He'll do his best. He'll represent the program well and he won't let you down."

"So, you think he's the best candidate?"

"yes, I do"

"You know, for two vampires who claim to not like each other, you seem to have a lot of nice things to say about each other."

"Yes, it's odd isn't it?" (sound of laughter)

_Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz_

Bill sat still and stared at his former sheriff with disbelief. "What?" he asked.

"You heard me," Eric repeated. He took a larger swallow from the garish mug.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" Bill asked.

"Don't be stupid. It's public information. There's fan holo sites about you. Books have been written about you. Your whole life story is available at the click of a button," Eric said.

Hopefully not his WHOLE life story, especially since there were sections of it that Bill would rather forget. "Well, I guess….I don't understand. Since when do vampires celebrate birthdays and since when do you care about them?"

"Since now. Given your stature on earth and in the vampire community and since I was never able to celebrate mine…."

"You don't even know when you were born," Bill interrupted.

"Exactly, it'll be great fun for me to share in celebrating yours," Eric declared, finishing off the mug with a flourish.

Bill sat and stewed for a minute, then automatically asked,"Would you like some more?"

"No thank you, I'm feeling much better now. And I don't drink very much blood anymore, either real or synthetic." Eric extended the mug out to Bill. He clearly didn't want to stand up again. So he wasn't feeling as good as he was claiming.

Bill took the mug from him and slid it back into the little processor to be steamed again. He sat back down and studied Eric, who was trying to smooth his hair out and looking around the room with curiosity. "I don't believe you," he announced.

"About what?" Eric asked.

"About anything! We haven't sat in the same room…hell..been on the same planet for nearly 800 years and you're trying to tell me that you came millions of miles to wish me a happy birthday? I'm not buying it. Tell me the truth. Why are you here?" Bill insisted.

"Do you have a brush I can use?" Eric asked. Maybe it was from early vampire conditioning, Bill wasn't sure. But he automatically got up to get Eric the brush. By the time he had entered his tiny private bathroom, he was peeved with himself for doing so. He handed the brush to Eric, then sat back down in his chair. "Thank you," Eric murmured, displaying no signs of answering Bill's question. Instead, he took his Com pad out and tapped the little screen.

"Eric?"

"Yes?"

"I asked you a question. Please answer it." Bill said with as much control as he could muster. He was no longer a young vampire under other powerful vampire's thumbs. Next to the station manager, he was the most powerful person on this planet and he was used to being treated accordingly. The irritation and emotional sandpaper he was experiencing right now galled him. In the space of an hour, Eric had managed to make him feel like a fledgling baby vampire. He wasn't going to stand for it. "Eric!"Bill growled more forcefully.

He could have Eric removed from Mars (with no refund), if needed. His brain checked through the process they'd have to go through to accomplish that, especially if Eric put up a fight. What would the charges be? He needs to leave because he wouldn't answer my question?

"Don't you want to see your presents?" Eric asked, casually putting the Com pad in his pocket and brushing his long hair in a leisurely manner.

"What?"

"PRESENTS, you know…birthday presents…it's traditional," Eric said pronounced slowly, like Bill was a little dim.

This did nothing for Bill's mood. "Eric, what I would appreciate is an explanation of what you are doing here. Otherwise, I'm going to have to ask you to leave and go back to your quarters," Bill said smugly.

Eric's startled gaze meant Bill had gotten to him a little. Good. Then his jaw set like granite and his blue eyes narrowed into slits. "I tell you what. Once you've given my presents a chance, rather than being an ungrateful little shit. If you would display a tiny bit of gratitude and some of that old fashioned Southern grace you're supposed to be famous for…then….I'll explain everything," he snapped. "Is that acceptable to you?" he added.

Bill felt his jaw hanging open a smidge from Eric's verbal dress down. Eric shook his hair out, having finished brushing it. It gleamed golden and soft under the low lights of his quarters. It reminded him of someone else's, but he wouldn't think about her right now. Bill debated with himself. It was unlikely Eric posed a danger to the station or to him personally. If Eric wanted to do something violent, he would have sent others or planned it using humans or Weres. Eric's primary motivation had always been wealth and possessing enough power to keep others off his back. He was a very social vampire, but in his own way, he was like Bill…he wanted to be left alone.

Deciding he could wait a little, he would acquiesce for now. He sighed aloud. "Alright, I'll wait. But I'm not kidding Eric. Later, I will be expecting an explanation."

A dazzling smile was his reply.

Bill sighed again. "So, where is this present? In your quarters? The stewards should have had your luggage stowed by now."

"Not present, PRESENTS, plural," Eric replied cheerfully. "You're going to love them. I'm having them brought here right now." He glanced around the room. "We can have ourselves a little party. Yes, I think this room is big enough." He handed the brush out to Bill, who accepted it automatically.

Eric was bulldozing his way through Bill's personal plans, so what was new? A nice, relaxing day with quiet reflection was flying out the door. And now he had people coming into Bill's private quarters bringing who knows what. Bill rarely invited anyone into his quarters, even station personnel and humans he fed from. Living on a station, the most precious thing of all was privacy and he guarded it jealously.

"Perhaps I'd better fold the bed up into the closet. I can get some more chairs if I don't have enough seating," Bill offered. He had his desk chair, his favorite chair by the window and a little settee sort of thing against the wall. With the bed down, the room felt cramped. When it was back up, the room should be comfortable enough to entertain a few people.

"No, I'm enjoying sitting here. They're very relaxed sorts…this will be fine," Eric answered. He plumped a couple pillows against the headboard and leaned back into them. He stretched his long legs down the bed. At least he took his shoes off first.

Now Bill's bed would smell like strangers and…..Eric. His day was complete. He made a mental note to tell Caroline to order freshly laundered bed linens as soon as they all left. With a sudden panic, something occurred to him. "You haven't told anyone about this have you?" he asked.

"Who do you mean? "

"Anyone on the station," Bill added. If Julie got a whiff of this…..

"No, no one on the station knows a thing," Eric explained, looking puzzled. "Why? Are you telling me NO ONE knows it's your birthday?

"Yes, and that's the way I'd like to keep it," Bill said firmly.

"You're so strange," Eric mused aloud.

"Please respect my wishes on this," Bill said, trying not to sound desperate. "I'm going along with your plans. I'd appreciate you cooperating with me."

The big shoulders shrugged. "As you wish…..birthday boy…." Eric grinned. "Should we do a birthday spanking? That could pass the time while we wait. They should be here shortly."

"Considering my age, I don't think that would be practical," Bill observed, secretly hoping Eric hadn't turned into some demented, old vampire and would actually try something like that.

"Very well"

"They sat awkwardly for a moment." Bill realized they hadn't discussed any of the normal things people discuss when they landed on Mars. "How was your trip?" he asked.

"Not bad. The zero gravity took some getting used to, which is surprising. A vampire who flies should be able to adapt to something like that fairly easily, don't you think?"

Bill was now even more sure that Eric had a specific purpose in coming to Mars. Space tourism, while it would never be a cheap form of entertainment travel, was now common enough that middle class people could afford it. And surely if Eric could afford a ticket to Mars, he could have taken an earth orbit tour if he wanted or stayed at the Ultimate View Hotel on the moon.

"Did you read the vampire travel information for Mars?" Bill asked.

"Yes…well…mostly"

"I'm only asking because I wanted to make sure you know that you can't levitate here," Bill explained.

Judging from Eric's expression, he'd missed that part of the information packet. Bill had written the packet himself since he knew the kind of information a vampire would need to know before traveling to Mars. The last thing they needed was a vampire tourist tumbling off the edge of a cliff, thinking they could just float out to take a picture. "We can't levitate? At all?"

"Correct"

"Why?"

"No one is sure. Since no one knows how vampires are able to levitate on earth to begin with, they haven't been able to figure out why they can't here. It could be tied into the fact that Mars has no global magnetic field. That's why you were so disoriented. The effect will lessen considerably over the next 24 hours. After a couple days you'll be able to walk fairly normally."

"I see," Eric said grimly. "Odd, that the humans seem to adjust to the changes so easily."

"Humans aren't tied into earth's energy and cycles like we are," Bill said, shrugging his shoulders. "This disconnect gives them an advantage here."

"You seem to not be affected." Eric said, studying Bill.

"I am, but I've grown accustomed to it. And I can't levitate either. I've had to get used to that too."

"Humph"

"Would you like to try walking again?" Bill offered. "Since we're sitting here?" Eric looked doubtful. "Nothing is going to happen to you, but it's awkward at first. That way you can do it here, privately." Eric caught on to the fact that Bill meant to help him avoid any embarrassment in front of humans.

Eric nodded," Alright." He slid his feet down to the floor, which had the standard low fiber carpet. Bill stood up and put his hand out for Eric to grasp if he felt the need. Eric gritted his teeth, staring down at his feet. "It feels like I'm going to shoot through the ceiling."

Bill smiled, remembering his first time on Mars. "You won't. It just feels like it because the gravity here is one third of earths. Pick your feet up and put them down like you're trying to press them through the floor. You'll feel more stable. After a couple days, you'll have adjusted and it'll feel almost natural."

Eric shuffled his way around the little room. It was like watching a toddler taking his first steps…if he was 6'4". Once Bill was confident enough that Eric wasn't going to fall over, he sat back down in his chair and just watched without comment.

"Soooo," Eric drawled. "How does it feel, being the God of War?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That's what some of the more sensationalist type news outlets call you. They say you live like a God and rule Mars like the ancient gods ruled Greece and Rome." He said, continuing to shuffle around while staring at his feet.

Bill had to laugh at that description. "That's absurd. I live here and I work. My life is quite simple." Bill paused for a moment. "And I like it that way," he added.

"If you say so."

"I don't just say so, that's the truth."

"You have a position of authority here don't you?"

"Well, yes….I'm in charge of operations. But, I don't run the station. I have no interest in dealing with petty politics and administration."

"So, what do you do?"

"Operations involves making sure everything …meaning equipment, life support, the various structures are functioning correctly. We built the structures, the solar array, put together the wind turbines and dug out the water cistern storage and pump system." He explained proudly. There was always something to do, a problem to solve, cranky equipment to fix, which is why Bill never took days off.

"You don't do all this alone I assume?"

"Of course not, I have a team."

"What happens if you and your team don't do your job?"

"Everything breaks and everyone on this station dies."

Eric plopped himself back down on the bed, and leaned back into the pillows again. "Sounds like a god to me."

Just as Bill was about to retort that Eric was being ridiculous, there was a knock at the door. He trudged over to the door, hoping whoever these people were, they weren't poorly behaved. He tapped the door pad, and it slid open to reveal two young women in the hallway.

"Happy Birthday!" they called out in unison as the door opened.

"Please come in," Bill urged, glancing down the hallway, hoping none of his co workers were lurking and overheard.

They bounced into the room. One girl was tall and slender, with shimmering black hair, olive skin, and green eyes. "Hi, my name is Paloma, nice to meet you," she said.

"Felicitations," Bill replied. "And you are?" He turned to look at her friend. The friend had skin as clear as milk, with long ravishing red hair, and blue eyes that appeared to be as unaltered as Palomas. She was a bit shorter, and very curvy with full breasts. Both women wore some sort of wrap dress with slip on sandals. Bill had long since given up trying to keep up with fashion on earth. He'd seen tourists get off the ship wearing insane outfits. At least these women were wearing normal clothing. Neither was wearing jewelry which was unusual. But the biggest thing Bill noticed was their scent. They had obviously just utilized the steam showers available to the tourists and their skin was fragrant and sweet. It was like someone had just brought a huge bouquet of flowers into Bill's quarters.

"I'm Grace," the red head, her voice low and musical.

Maybe this little party wouldn't be so bad.

"I'm Bill Compton, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said. She smiled radiantly and held up a colorful bag tied with sparkling ribbon at the top.

"This is for you!" she said.

"Thank you. You're too kind."

"It's from Eric. He asked us to schlep it down here for him."

"Because he's too lazy to do it himself!" Paloma teased, as she went to the bed and playfully touseled Eric's carefully brushed hair.

"I just brushed my hair!" Eric protested, although he was smiling.

"Too bad, so sad!" Paloma laughed and she put both hands on his golden head and went to town.

"What's the matter Paloma? You didn't get to mess his hair up enough on the ship?" Grace laughed. She looked back at Bill. "Why don't you open it?"

Bill was in a tiny state of shock. The women weren't just beautiful, they were extraordinarily beautiful. And more unusual, displayed none of the usual signs of genetic and cosmetic alteration, which nowadays was unheard of. They weren't even wearing makeup. And he was realizing the delicious scent wasn't from any bathing products, but was a part of their natural scent. He would have been happy to sit all night sniffing them. He kept breathing.

"Where are my manners? Would you ladies like something to drink? Or are you hungry? I can have something delivered." Bill offered. Both ladies shook their heads.

"We just had a snack and something to drink. We're fine for now," Paloma answered, and stepped back to admire her handiwork. Eric's hair was a complete disaster now.

Eric looked up at Paloma, with an evil glint in his eye. "I'm going to punish you for that."

"I certainly hope so," she giggled.

Bill ignored this exchange and sat down in his chair. Pulling the ribbon off, he slid a royal blue silk covered box out of the bag. The box had a gold crown embossed on it with the letters below "Royalty Blended". Unable to believe it, Bill removed the lid and nestled in the satin was a dark blue bottle of Royalty Blended. It appeared to be one of the smaller half liter bottles, but that didn't matter to Bill. He sat quietly and stared.

Over the centuries, as people of royal lineage had died out and intermarried with commoners, the blood lines had become diluted. As such, Royalty had gotten even more expensive than it had been at the beginning. Not only that, but Eric would have had to pay for its weight when bringing it. The price of a tourist ticket was partially determined by how much weight they had (passenger plus luggage). There were even fitness trainers who specialized in space flight weight loss programs. Every Kilo lost amounted to huge savings for the passenger.

Bill heard Paloma quietly whisper to Eric, " I don't think he likes it."

"I think he's in shock," Grace observed. "Look, his mouth is hanging open."

Bill raised his head and looked at Eric. "I don't know what to say."

"You could say thank you," Eric smirked.

"Thank you," Bill blurted. He was still in shock. The retail value of the small blue bottle in his hand was equivalent to the entire inventory of several of the shops in the Mezzanine. He was completely overwhelmed.

"You like it?" Grace asked, her blue eyes studying him.

"Yes…yes I do…forgive me…I'm a little overwhelmed right now." Bill stammered. He was rewarded with a smile. Her smile was gorgeous too.

She looked over at Eric. "He's cuter than his holo pictures."

Paloma nodded."Yeah, you kind of played that down a little, don't you think?" she asked , giving Eric a playful punch in the shoulder.

"I didn't want you to be disappointed," Eric said. "You are pleased?"

Both women nodded. Bill was confused since the conversation was going over his head a bit.

Then, as quick as a wink, the wrap dresses were off and on the floor. The sandals were kicked across the room. Both women were naked underneath. They jumped into the bed next to Eric, who had moved as far to the edge as he could without falling off.

Eric gave them the pillows to lean against and the soft limbs intertwined as they giggled and got themselves situated. Grace's legs were askew and one milky hand had drifted down between her legs, playing with red curls. Bill could smell her arousal beginning from across the room. He looked blankly at Eric.

"I said you would like your presents," Eric declared. "I'm always right."

And for the third time this evening, Bill's mouth was hanging open.

TBC

_888888888888888_

_A/N okay , confession...I had intended for this story to stay a T rating...it looks like that may not happen. So, make sure you've got this on alert cuz when i post the next chapter, it's probably going to be on the M rated page and that page moves much faster. It's easy to miss postings. _


	4. Chapter 4

_Charlaine Harris owns all these wonderful characters, I just like playing with them. _

_A/N Thank you so much for the enthusiastic reviews. The writing for this is going really well, there will probably only be one, maybe two more chapters max. For those who've asked, I've got the next chapter of Nesting Instincts about 1/3 done. _

_I kind of pushed this out a bit since I'm going into the hospital tomorrow. Nothing life threatening, but it's something I can't put off, especially since my health insurance will run out soon from the job loss thing. Hopefully, I'll be back at home recovering on Thanksgiving Day, although I probably won't be in the mood for the usual feasting from what they're telling me. _

_enjoy! _

_88888888888888888888_

"Good evening Mr. Compton. We have just a few more questions for you."

Bill had been hearing that for three nights now. He'd been brought to a nondescript, gray office building on the outskirts of Houston, Texas. He had been told he would be answering some additional questions, but not that it would take several nights. As soon as he rose for the evening, he would hurriedly drink a True Blood and be hustled into a barren wood paneled office that looked like a leftover from the 1970's.

There were two vampires that Bill didn't know, standing at the door. A rotating pool of generically suited men came in and out of the room as they lost their voices from speaking. They would ask him questions all night, pushing him right up until the sun was almost up. Then the next night, they would ask most of the same questions again; questions about his human life, his vampire life, places he'd been, people he'd met. Bill wasn't sure what they were trying to achieve.

Then, this night, he realized where they were going.

"Mr. Compton, would you say that vampires had a right to kill in the past? After all, your kind was hunted for centuries," asked gray suit number one.

"I'd say that any being has a right to defend themselves from harm, wouldn't you?" Bill asked back.

"True, but what if the vampire wasn't in any danger?" gray suit number two asked.

"I can't speak for what others do. Humans often hurt and kill others as well."

"Mr. Compton," gray suit number three paused for a moment. "Our government has decided to not pursue many of the violent acts of vampires committed before the Great Reveal, just as they ignored the lack of taxes being paid. In a manner of speaking, vampires were able to start fresh."

"But this does not mean we ignore acts committed after the Great Reveal," gray suit number two declared. "Mr. Compton would you care to confess to any illegal violent acts made after the Great Reveal?"

"This session is not being recorded," gray suit number one offered. "You have no lawyer present and we have no jurisdiction with regards to law enforcement or prosecution. We are merely trying to clarify what sort of man you really are. Space Command can't be wrong about you. Too much is riding on this."

"I'm not a man," Bill said. "I haven't been a man for a very long time, I barely remember what it was like to be a human being. I have attempted, to the best of my ability, to live my life with some honor, decency, and some sort of ethics. I wish I could say I have always succeeded, but I have not. Like anyone, I struggled with doing the right thing as a human and I've struggled with it as a vampire."

"And what about killing?" gray suit number two asked.

"I killed many men while I was still alive. It was only pure luck that kept me from being one of the many bodies I saw being thrown into the mass grave sites."

"Yes, your service with the Confederacy has been checked and rechecked. We're satisfied with your conduct during a most difficult war," gray suit number three said. "But that isn't what we're asking is it?"

"Have you killed humans after you were Turned?" gray suit number two asked.

Eric had hired a team of lawyers for Bill once his candidacy had gotten more serious and it appeared he might actually be selected. The number one thing they had advised Bill was to never …EVER…admit to killing anyone once he was a vampire. Sometimes good advice has to be ignored.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?" gray suit number one asked.

"I was hungry. I can't explain to you what vampire hunger is like. It takes over and when you're a newly turned vampire, it consumes you. I was young and inexperienced. I didn't kill on purpose."

"And there was no True Blood to take the edge off back then…"gray suit number one said.

Bill wasn't stupid. They were playing good cop, bad cop with him. Trying to trip him up. They thought they had worn him down and he was confessing. But he wasn't. He was telling them because he wanted to enter this program with the minimal amount of skeletons in his closet and with an understanding of who he was. Otherwise, they'd forever think he was some mindless animal. He wondered why gray suit number four was sitting quietly and not asking questions like the other three. None of them were taking notes either.

"So, these deaths took place a very long time ago…say 19th century?" gray suit number three asked.

"Yes"

All three flipped through their files. Here it came.

"We're seeing here that you dated a young woman…a Sookie Stackhouse…right after moving back into your ancestral home, correct?" gray suit number three asked. He pronounced her name wrong.

"It's pronounced Sookie, like cookie," Bill corrected.

"Oops! Sorry, it's an unusual name," gray suit number three smiled, like he and Bill were best friends.

"Her Grandmother was murdered," gray suit number two stated.

Bill looked at him directly. "Yes, she was. A disturbed local man was the murderer. He's still locked up in an institution I understand."

"So, that death had nothing to do with you," gray suit number one offered with a lingering tone.

"No. I would have no reason to hurt Adele Stackhouse. She was a lovely person and very kind to me when I moved back." Bill said. "It was a shame. I would have liked to have gotten to know her better."

"That's nice," gray suit number two drawled. "Adele Stackhouse's brother is a different story though huh?"

Bill froze and kept his face neutral. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it just seems to be a pretty odd that you move back into town, Adele Stackhouse is murdered, then barely days later, her brother is killed when someone breaks into his house. That's a hell of a bad streak in one family don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know," Bill said, shrugging. "I never met the man. Sookie wasn't close to him."

"Well, she had good reason didn't she?" gray suit number three said.

"I don't follow you."

"Sookie Stackhouse, she had good reason to not be close to her great uncle."

Bill's mind raced. How could they have found out? Or were they just fishing? He and Eric had gone over anything they could think of that could be brought up and they'd covered tracks as perfectly as possible. Eric had even thought to send Bubba out of the state to stay with Russell Edgington while the review process was going on. Bubba liked Bill a lot and had been very excited to hear he might become an astronaut. It was too risky someone with a camera or recorder would see him , or worse talk to him.

But Eric didn't know about the Uncle Bartlett thing, unless Sookie had told him. No, Eric wouldn't have told anyone anyway. Eric could be a snake, but he would never rat out a vampire ally to human law enforcement. And if he even knew about Bill arranging Bartlett's tumble down the stairs, he probably would have approved, once he knew why.

Sam? He had trouble believing that Sookie would tell her shifter boss even as close as they were. Fae relatives? No, this was too personal for Sookie ..only a family member….which left Hadley. Maybe Hadley had told someone about issues with Bartlett and these men were putting two and two together. Or maybe…JASON! He had to have known what was going on since Sookie didn't even attend the funeral.

This all went through Bill's head in the matter of seconds. "Why don't you explain what you're referring to ?" Bill asked politely.

"There is evidence that your friend suffered from abuse by her great uncle when she was a child. Were you aware of this?" gray suit number three asked.

Bill debated with himself for a second. "Yes, I am."

"Would you elaborate?" gray suit number two asked.

"It was told to me in confidence, so I would rather not," Bill replied.

"You may want to rethink that decision. Let me tell you how this looks. We have reason to believe that when you started seeing this Sookie Stackhouse, she told you about her abusive great uncle and asked you to kill him as retaliation for the suffering he'd put her through as a child." Gray suit number two declared. "Do you have any comment to make?"

"That sounds like a huge leap to me," Bill said, keeping his voice calm. What if they decided to question Sookie? What if it got out and the newspapers got involved? What would happen to her? How much did these men really know?

"Did you kill this great uncle?" gray suit number one jumped in.

"No"

"Then you had someone else do it." Gray suit number one retorted.

Bill sat silently.

"Bill," gray suit number two started. They were on a first name basis now? "Bill, we know you're involved. The only thing we don't know is how involved this Stackhouse woman is. Did she order you to kill her great uncle?"

"No"

"You're sure?"

"Yes"

"Because we can bring her in and ask her. So, she didn't order a hit on him?"

"No!"

"No? Did she ask or imply she wanted this to happen?"

"No, she had nothing to do with any of this." Bill blurted, then froze. Shit, they had him.

The gray suited men sat back, and nodded towards the fourth gray suited man who hadn't said anything thus far. Now he spoke. "Mr. Compton, you're pretty much admitting having this man killed. Could you please explain why?"

It was too late for him. There would be a trial and he'd get to choose a form of execution, staking from another vampire or meeting the sun. Staking would be quicker Bill thought. But seeing the sun again might be nice too.

Eric was going to be mad as hell since he was practically rubbing his hands together in anticipation of all the merchandising deals he would put together if Bill was selected. Well, too bad, he couldn't allow them to victimize Sookie all over again. Not after everything she'd gone through.

"Mr. Compton?" the fourth man asked again. "Why don't you tell us what happened?"

Bill couldn't believe this. His Maker had tortured him for days and nights and commanded him repeatedly to give her information. He'd fought that and managed to resist until he was rescued. But these boring gray suited men had managed to get him to blab incriminating information that would now get him tried for murder. Of course, the reason he'd been able to resist his Maker was the same reason these men had succeeded, by threatening his Sookie.

He could hear his father's voice," William! No use crying over spilt milk, hold your head up and just get on with business!" Yes papa, he thought.

"Mr. Compton?" the fourth man prompted again.

Bill sighed. In for a dime, in for a dollar, he would just lay out the cards and see what happened. "Miss. Stackhouse had told me about the abuse her great uncle had inflicted upon her. It went on for years and its impact was severe. Even while speaking to me about it, she became distraught. It caused rifts in the family that were permanent and I'm sure she felt unnecessary guilt over that as well. I felt….I felt so incredibly enraged at this evil man hurting innocent children, in his own family no less! She wasn't the only victim you see. And even now, this woman I loved was suffering so….I contacted someone. Miss. Stackhouse knew nothing about it. I acted completely on my own."

"Did you tell her afterward?"

"No"

"Did she suspect?"

"Yes, but we never really discussed it. She was so relieved that this horror from her childhood was gone."

"So she approved?"

"No, she was just so relieved. And she told me I could not take actions from things she said. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to trust me and talk to me."

"So did you do this?"

"Yes, I have tried to do as she asked." Even as I screwed up in dozens of other ways, Bill thought.

"How do you see what you did now?" the fourth man asked.

"What do you mean?" Bill asked.

"When you look back on your actions, are you sorry? What would you do differently?"

Bill wasn't sure why he was asking this, so he answered honestly. " Do I regret it? Yes and no. He was a feeble, sick old man and quite ill. I should have allowed him to slowly suffer and die a long drawn out death. But I was so …upset…over Sookie….Miss Stackhouse's reactions while speaking of it….I reacted impulsively and took action. I shouldn't have done that. Am I sad or sorry about instigating his death? No, not really. The man was a monster. I have little patience or pity for those who prey on children."

"Interesting, you using the word "monster"," the fourth man observed.

"Perhaps," Bill replied. "I'm sure to some, it would be seen as irony."

"Would you say most vampires feel as you do?"

"No, most vampires are indifferent to children. And these days, everything has changed. Children are valued more than they used to be. It used to be common to see orphaned, homeless unwanted children wandering the streets. They would do whatever they needed to do to survive and they were victims of all sorts of atrocities. Preyed upon by adult humans, fellow children and some vampires; many never made it to adulthood. "

"Were you one of those predators?"

"No, fortunately I was never in a situation where my survival depended on hurting a child. I'm not sure I would have allowed myself to live afterward."

"Why? Why Mr. Compton does it matter? You've seen so many countless people die in many pointless and random ways….to the point that those of us sitting at this table can never fully fathom. Why would a single child matter?"

Bill thought for a moment.

He took an unnecessary breath. "Because, what separates a savage and a civilized man is how they value the weak members of their society. A savage abandons them and leaves them to die, only thinking about survival of their tribe. A civilized man knows that there can be no civilization if the strong don't protect the weak. I viewed myself as a civilized man when I was alive. Going to war almost destroyed that and when I made it home alive to my family, I promised I would never allow myself to be otherwise. Then I was taken and turned into something savage. But a part of me has managed to retain that element of civility and as long as I can still find that man inside of me….I can manage to get through another night." Bill paused. He wasn't sure what he was trying to say was getting across. Maybe there was no way for him to say what he truly felt. He wished he were better at speeches. "I wish I had some grand statement about children being the future and the tragedy of innocence being destroyed. I actually like children, but am no longer in a position to be around them very often. I'm sorry. I'm sure this isn't very clear. "

"Actually, it's quite clear," the fourth man said. He looked down at his file again. " I see here you're related to a member of the local law enforcement, a detective Andrew Bellefleur."

"Yes," Bill answered, a little puzzled at the change in topic.

"He and his wife had a baby and named her Caroline Compton Bellefleur. Was this in honor of you?"

"Yes"

"How did you feel about that?"

Well, color Bill confused, this man was all over the place with his questions. Why weren't they just carting him off to an underground bunker somewhere? Were they going to do something to Andy and his family? Bill couldn't allow that. " I was flattered and pleased of course. Why are you asking me about them? Detective Bellefleur doesn't know about the situation with Sookie…Miss. Stackhouse's great uncle and it would be unfair to implicate them in any way."

"The questions aren't related. I was just wondering how you felt about the baby carrying your name. Do you have a relationship with them?"

Bill had no idea where this was going, but decided to play along. "I've been trying to build one with them, yes."

"And they let you see the baby?"

"Yes, I am pleased to say that they allow me to spend time with her."

"And how was that?"

"It was enjoyable. Like I said, I like children in general. I haven't spent any time with babies for a very long time," Bill paused, smiling softly. "But it's like riding a bike."

Bill thought about the last time he had seen baby Caroline. Halleigh had met him at Merlottes and he'd watched the baby at one table while she had a glass of wine with some teacher colleagues at another. It was kind of like chaperoned baby sitting and it had gone well. Caroline hadn't cried or been frightened of Bill's white face or cool touch. He had read to her from a soft colorful book with various touchy feely things on the pages. He would read a page, then put her hand on the appropriate item. She'd stare wide eyed and fascinated….then shove her tiny fist in her mouth, getting drool everywhere. And she wasn't the only one wide eyed. Sam had to deal with people walking into the bar all night, coming up to warn him about a vampire sitting with a baby at a small side table, not realizing the mother was sitting twenty feet away and perfectly relaxed about the situation. It had amused Bill to see Sam, who wasn't exactly a vampire fan, becoming offended by the ignorant comments and retorting back.

Sam warmed up a small bottle of milk for the baby and a bottle of TruBlood for Bill. The vampire and the pink clad baby had sat watching the activity at Merlottes as they drank their dinner. By the time Halleigh was ready to leave, Bill was reluctant to hand Caroline back. The baby gripped his shirt as tightly as her chubby fists could and she squawked when she was handed back to her Momma. " I think she likes you," Halleigh had laughed, as she strapped the baby into her car seat. When Bill went back into the bar, he could hear Halleigh's friends talking in an amazed way at how good he was with the baby.

All that would be gone, Bill thought. He wouldn't get to see her grow up and he would forever be the creepy murdering vampire ancestor that no one wanted to talk about.

"Do you have a picture?" the fourth man asked.

Bill frowned. Why would they need a picture? But they could find out the information easily enough, so there was no point in refusing. "Yes, I have a picture," he replied.

"May I see it?

Bill slowly pulled his wallet out and flipped to the pictures. Taken at the Sears store family photography studio in the mall in Monroe, one was of Andy, Halleigh and baby Caroline sitting on her lap. The second was just of the baby, dressed in her baby best of a pink frilly dress and perched next to a teddy bear that was as large as her. Bill had never had photos in his wallet until Halleigh had given him these two. He had been unexpectedly moved and trimming the photos and fitting them into his wallet had been strangely satisfying.

The man leaned in, looked, and smiled. "Cute as a button," he said.

Bill couldn't help it. He smiled too and looked at the photo again." Yes…yes she is," he murmured.

"She appears to take after her mother."

"Her father hopes so," Bill commented dryly.

This generated a chuckle. "Do you have an opinion about her future?" he asked.

"I hope she has a happy life. Women can do anything they want now. She can become whatever she desires. Her parents don't know it yet, but I've had a trust fund set up for her education and any additional children that may come later."

"So, you wouldn't want her to be a vampire then?"

"Absolutely not….unless it was something she really wanted, but that would be up to her. Hopefully, she'll have a family and children of her own."

The man nodded thoughtfully to that comment. "Thank you Mr. Compton for your time." And with that, he stood up and left the room.

Gray suit number one said," Mr. Compton you'll be taken back to your room for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately, you'll be needed for one more night."

When Bill was back in his room, sipping another TruBlood from the mini bar he debated his options.

He could run.

Years of hiding and knowledge of old vampire hideouts meant he could safely get away and never be caught. But he'd have to live as some of the older more eccentric vampires did. And he'd never get to see any of his current human acquaintances and friends again. He'd have to wait until everyone who knew about this was dead and then risk coming back later. This assumed that vampires wouldn't come after him for ruining an opportunity for a true vampire hero to bolster their image with the humans.

After debating the various possibilities for several hours, he decided to let the chips fall where they may. He had done the best he could and it hadn't been good enough. For the short time he had left, he would just have to live with it. He had known this would be a possibility when he'd signed up. That something from his past would come out and bury him. He went to his rest regretful and resigned.

The next night he was taken into the same tedious room. This time there were no vampires standing at the door and there were several men from NASA that he knew mixed in with the gray suited men. One of them, Carl Wheatley was the final word on astronaut selection.

This was it, Bill thought. They had told Carl about what Bill had done and he would be informed that he was no longer a candidate. He straightened up for the bad news when Carl sat him down at the table.

"Mr. Compton, good evening."

"Good evening Mr. Wheatley."

"I'm going to ask you something and I need a very honest answer."

"Alright"

"When the various permutations of this mission were being discussed , one of them was the One Way Option. Do you remember discussing it?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, the decision has been finalized. NASA is going to bite the bullet and go with this option. Just about every scientist and engineer we've consulted has stated this option will significantly raise the possibility of success. It will lower the cost by %60 and give us a permanent solid goal. So, I need to know right now….are you still willing to be a part of this mission? I know you originally said you would still do it, but if you've changed your mind…please…please ..just say so. It'll be perfectly understandable if you no longer wish to go under those conditions."

Bill sat stunned, stunned that everyone was acting like he was still a candidate and being offered a position. The One Way Option essentially meant that the astronauts would leave Earth, go to Mars and not come back. It was a permanent settlement option as opposed to a go away and come back in a year option. It was much less complicated, easier to engineer, and much cheaper. The only reason NASA had been balking was the problem of selling the idea to the public. It had a "suicide mission" element to it that would be a hard sell. Like all the astronauts who had raised their hand to volunteer, Bill didn't see it that way.

"Yes, I would still want to go," he answered.

"You're sure?"

"Yes"

"You know how some will see it. As a suicide mission. Do you see it that way?"

"No, but being a pioneer involves sacrifices and I'm willing to make them for such an amazing opportunity, both for myself and for humankind and vampirekind alike."

All the men present began to smile and the tension began to ebb out of the room. "I thought you'd say something like that. Would it surprise you to find out that you've been selected as the newest member of the NASA astronaut family?"

Bill was silent. He wasn't sure he'd heard him right.

All the men stood up. Carl put out his hand, forgetting vampire protocol. "Congratulations Mr. Compton and welcome to NASA."

If Bill had been human, he would have been unable to stand from dizziness. He stood up and shook the hand offered him. There was a stream of handshakes and gray suits. Someone opened a double door at the end of the room and they went through into another equally boring 1970's conference room. There was a larger crowd of people in this room. A number of them Bill recognized from the various tests and training exercises he'd been through already. When they came through, a few cameras went off . Carl gestured towards Bill and said, "I'm pleased to introduce our newest astronaut!" Applause erupted in the room.

The rest of the evening was a blur. There were well wishes and more photos, including one of Bill signing his official contract to work for NASA. There was a layout of appetizer trays and drinks on the tables, so everyone was nibbling as they chatted. He ran into the two vampire door guards at a tray of TruBlood. "Who do you work for?" he asked, casually.

"Officially, we don't exist," one vampire answered, raising an eyebrow at Bill significantly.

Bill realized he would never know how the gray suited men had found out the information about him that they did. Perhaps that was just as well. The fourth gray suited man had entered the room and was talking to gray suit number three in the corner. He pointed him out to the vampire. "Is it alright to ask who he is?"

"Oh, he's rather famous in certain circles," the vampire replied. "His name is John Douglas. He's retired from the FBI. He invented the profiling that their behavioral science unit uses to catch serial killers."

"Oh, I see," Bill said. He wasn't sure if he should feel insulted or complimented.

The vampires moved off and Carl ended up taking their place next to Bill. "If I were to describe your demeanor, it would be dazed," he said, sipping his drink.

"After the last few days, I guess I'm a bit surprised that I was offered a position," Bill commented. He wondered how much Carl knew about his interview. Carl answered the question on his own.

"Well, we decided to have some specialists come in who might be better at assessing the candidates than us. Vampire backgrounds are somewhat….unique..and not typical of the type of person we normally check out at NASA," he smiled. "We explained our concerns and gave them free rein. We only asked for their final assessment based around mission goals and not the specifics of the interviews."

"Interviews?"

"Yes, you don't think you were the only one going through this do you?"

"So….you don't know anything that was discussed?" Bill asked.

"No, and I don't want to know. They weren't allowed to record the interviews with any form of device nor take notes. That's why the interviews were here. We own this building," he said while gesturing around them. "It hasn't been redecorated since the 70's. Can't you tell?" he laughed, as Bill smiled back.

Bill had to know. As he chatted with others, he slowly edged his way towards the man John Douglas. Finally, he managed to get next to him and make it look natural, or so he thought.

"You could have just walked over instead of taking the long route," the man said, popping a tiny pastry in his mouth. His eyes flickered around the room. When the eyes settled on Bill, Bill realized the man was able to really see him. This was not a human who could be easily fooled. Bill relaxed his face into as neutral an expression as possible.

"I'm sorry. We were never properly introduced," Bill commented.

"This is true. But, that's not why you walked over here. What is it you want to ask me?"

Bill started. He wasn't used to humans being able to read him.

"You behave like a human very well. It's almost like performance art in a way. But once one knows what to look for…." Mr. Douglas explained with a shrug.

Bill thought of how to express what he wanted to know. Many people were leaving and they were in a corner on their own. But he had to know. "I thought….I assumed they had decided …" he began.

"You thought you were going to be arrested and charged with murder," the human finished.

"Yes"

"I'm retired and all the men who were in charge of these interviews are no longer active members of law enforcement or related agencies. We were brought in for a specific reason, to determine if you would be a danger to your fellow astronauts during the journey and after you get there. What you had done before was less important than why and your attitude regarding your actions."

"I guess I'm a little surprised."

"You should be. You should be charged with murder and put on trial, but this mission has been determined to be of such high importance, that certain things are being overlooked. I'm sure you're aware that governments often allow injustices against individuals for common good."

"Yes, I'm aware of many things. I've seen injustices repeated so many times it hardly surprises or shocks me. Some of the things I've seen humans do to other humans…."

"I'm sure it would shock even me and I've seen some of the worst humanity has to offer. I understand. I'm hardly in a position to judge you and your life, nor would I want to. But there are some things I was able to see quite clearly."

Bill was almost afraid to ask. "Like?"

"Your evolution. You've reinvented yourself more than once and you're still doing it. You're not just copying what you see around you and pretending to fit in. Once vampires made themselves known, I've studied your various behaviors to assist law enforcement. You understand we have to be able to tell vampires who are truly dangerous from those who are making the effort not to be. One thing I've noticed, especially the older the vampires become is a lack of growth. Oh, they learn new tricks, change their clothing, mannerisms, adapt to technology….but there's very little personal growth. Maybe, it's the lack of aging that causes it, I don't know. This was essential for this mission."

"And what else? You were asking about my descendents and the baby."

"One way in that dangerous vampires are similar to sociopaths and serial killers is a lack of empathy. There's very little emotion there and almost no feeling for others. You were impacted emotionally into taking revenge on someone for a very old crime. And you have some feelings of regret regarding your actions. You were also worried we would drag the young woman into it, I could tell. That's unusual for a vampire."

Bill was silent. He knew the man was right.

"As to the Bellefleurs. Again, evolution. You haven't had a family for a very long time and yet you're attempting to rebuild family relationships with these people. That's unusual for vampires, especially older ones. We're seeing it with the young vampires, but older ones? Never. You're interested in your family's future as evidenced by your interest in a relationship with the baby. Also unusual. And with all the vampires I've ever interviewed, I've only met a few who had personal photographs in their wallets."

Bill stayed silent, absorbing what the man was saying and unsure of how to react.

"You don't enjoy being a vampire do you?" Mr. Douglas asked, with the air of someone who already knows the answer.

"I have learned to accept who and what I am…" Bill began.

"That's not the same thing," the man interrupted. "You don't embrace being a vampire as some do."

"I guess not…sometimes…there are moments, but I just can't completely let go of who I was."

"It's a burden for you I'm sure and yet it's what ultimately won you this position. You still value humanity for its own sake. "

"Thank you," Bill said.

"What for?"

"For talking to me and explaining all this to me. You've given me a lot to think about."

The man smiled. "Well, I guess there's truth to the old adage that we all learn something new every day."

"Yes," Bill smiled back. "I can assure you. That is completely true."

"Well, it's true for those with enough wisdom to grasp it. And in the long run, that will be your saving grace."

He bade Bill good night and good luck. Everyone cleared out, as Carl introduced Bill to a PR person who had been assigned to him. Bill would be introduced around the next day and the news announced on TV the following night. There was much to be done.

_Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz_

"Look! His mouth is hanging open again," Grace cried, pointing at him with her free hand.

Bill clicked his mouth shut and looked directly at Eric. "Could I speak with you for a moment?" he asked, gesturing toward his bathroom's door. After winking at the women, Eric slid out of bed and followed him slowly. The two vampires crammed themselves into the tiny bathroom and Bill lit into him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What?"

"You're trafficking in humans now? Have you decided to go back to your roots and practice full on slavery as well?" Bill couldn't help it. He could feel his fangs sliding down. It was like Eric had showed up just to push every single button he had.

Eric's bold face shifted as dark as a thunder cloud and his fangs started sliding down in response to Bill's aggressive posture and the tight space they were standing in. "I'm not trafficking! Don't be an idiot."

"Did you think it would please me to have women forced into having sex with me? Have you learned nothing in hundreds of years?"

Eric pulled himself up to his full height, so he could look down at Bill. "I'm not forcing them to do anything. They wanted to come to Mars, but didn't have the money. I told them I wanted to show you a good time for your birthday. Like everyone else, they'd seen your pictures… you're famous…they offered to give you a good time."

Bill was confused. "So, they don't belong to you?"

"Not exactly, we have a semi exclusive arrangement. We don't have sex with anyone else without the other's knowledge and consent. I feed on others of course. You noticed their scent?"

Bill nodded. Of course he had.

"Their blood is even better," Eric said smiling. He adopted a more relaxed stance, "Look, they agreed to do this on two conditions. One, they found you attractive and non creepy."

"Non creepy?" Bill asked.

"According to them, some vampires are just plain creepy," Eric explained with a shrug. "Two, I didn't leave them alone with you. I assured them that I had never known you to be deliberately abusive towards your female companions, but they asked, so I promised."

Bill stood silent for a moment. "If you're going to be present, are you participating as well?"

Eric's fangs slid down again, as he smiled flirtatiously. "Bill! How sweet! I didn't know you harbored such tender feelings for me."

Bill closed his eyes and counted to five. "No, I'm just trying to figure out what the parameters are."

"You can have sex and feed on them anyway you like and anyway they'll allow. They're pretty free spirited about sex in general, but they both have their little quirks. You've probably noticed that Paloma is a bit more aggressive. If they don't like something , they'll say so. I'll participate if they want me to…or you do." Eric smirked, batting his eyelashes.

Bill ignored the flirtation. "What makes their scent so different?"

Eric rolled his eyes toward the tiny bathroom's ceiling. "Bill! There are two gorgeous naked women waiting to make your one thousandth birthday a memorable one. The question is why are you standing in here talking to me. And an even better question would be WHY do you have a BATHTUB in your private bathroom when we were assured on the ship that the only bathtubs were in the medical center only?" He glared behind Bill, at the small Japanese style sit down tub."

Bill ignored his second comment, turned and marched out of the bathroom, with Eric slowly following, doing the little stomping walk Bill had shown him. Both women were still reclining in the bed, looking bored.

" I thought for sure you two were having sex in there," Paloma quipped.

"May I ask you both a question?" Bill asked. They frowned at his serious tone and nodded. "He isn't making you do this is he?"

Both women burst out laughing.

"Was that why you were in there? You were worried he was making us do this? Paloma laughed, her small breasts shaking.

"You were worried about us? That's so CUTE!" Grace said, walking up to Bill. She reached out and gingerly touched one of his sideburns, like she thought she might offend him.

"You were right, he is different," Paloma said, calming down and glancing at Eric who had plopped himself down in Bill's favorite chair.

"I told you," Eric mock complained, throwing his hands in the air. "No one listens to me."

"That's because you're usually full of shit,"Paloma retorted. She stuck her tongue out at Eric and marched over to Bill, next to Grace's side. "I think we need to take your clothes off Bill. What do you say?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Bill replied, since his concerns had been alleviated.

The two women cheered and they started pulling off his clothes. They took their time, caressing each section of his body as it was revealed. Bill ran his fingers into their hair, leaning in and immersing himself in their scent. He was rubbing his face back and forth into their hair while their hands ran over his chest.

"Just enough hair to play with," Grace commented.

"I might say the same about you," Bill responded, and he gave the little patch of red hair between her legs a friendly pat. She giggled.

"Now I wish I hadn't removed mine," Paloma pouted. She was bare down below. Bill slid the middle finger of his other hand between the smooth lips and gripped her labia with his fingers so hard she gasped.

"Oh, I think we'll find something to do with these," he murmured darkly in her ear.

"We need to move to the bed," Paloma suggested, a little breathlessly.

"Another excellent idea," Bill said.

Paloma glanced over her shoulder in Eric's direction. "I think I like him better than you. He agrees with me." A loud snort was the only response.

They shuffled back towards the bed and Bill gently pushed their shoulders, so they'd sit on the edge. With their faces at such a convenient height, they both leaned in and kissed his cock. Bill held completely still watching the two women. His fangs started extending out, long, and white, not unlike another body part. Paloma had one hand gripping one of his back cheeks, the other held the back of Grace's head. They kissed deeply, then continued kissing with Bill's cock head caught in between the warm lips.

Lovely.

Eric was completely silent behind Bill thank goodness. Bill hoped he stayed that way.

Paloma took Bill's cock completely into her hot wet mouth and sucked, as her hand clawed into his backside. This lasted for a minute, then they switched off. Grace's pink lips opened wide and played with around the ridge for a moment. Then, Bill wrapped his hand into her silky red hair and gripped her head firmly. The blue eyes gazed up at him a little confused.

"Open your mouth and hold still," Bill murmured.

"Okay," she replied softly.

He took control of Paloma's black hair with his other hand, lest she try to interfere. Pushing his cock into Grace's mouth slowly, he watched her eyes carefully. Once he got towards the back of her throat, there was a bit of a panicked look and he stopped where he was. He kept them still like that for a couple minutes. Paloma was getting impatient, her eyes slitted, licking her lips and shifting on the bed. Bill gave her hair a good hard tug. She got the hint and held still. At first, Grace looked frustrated, her blue eyes rolled up at Bill pathetically. He gazed back down at her, smiling with his fangs still extended. Then, she started to relax, with an air of 'I can do this all night'. Bill was pleased.

He pulled out and directed them to lie down on the bed. Bill already had a feeling of how each woman liked sex and as he leaned down into their warm bodies, he planned a couple things in his head. In general, women (and men) who liked sex with vampires typically enjoyed being dominated in some way. It was a simple matter of how and by what degree. Some simply liked the vampire to initiate and be in control of the sex, while they took a passive role. Others had various fantasies in their heads of being utterly controlled by a more powerful creature, complete with role playing. Bill had his own preferences, but being on the station for so many years, he'd learned to accommodate various tastes from the limited number of partners available to him. He'd be able to accommodate these women easily enough.

Stretching out on top of them, he wrapped his arms around them tightly as he alternated kissing each one. Then he began working his way around and down both bodies with his hands and mouth. Judging by the squirming and little cries erupting from the women's mouths, they were happy with this development. Having vampire speed was very helpful and he tried to be fair with his attentions.

Physically, the two women were quite different. Grace had a full hip and bottom to go with her large breasts. Paloma's body was lithe, almost athletic and couldn't seem to stop moving, whereas Grace seemed to enjoy being passive. When he got down to their legs, he tapped them to get their attention.

"Put your legs together and lift them. Grab your ankles if you can, so your feet are back near your face," he directed.

Quickly, they obeyed and he had a lovely vignette of wet, reddened pungent female displayed between round buttocks. He pushed their hips as close together as possible and reached one hand into each set of swollen lips. His long white fingers disappeared into the hot soaked abyss and moans erupted from the other side of the extended legs. A couple fingers slid into each women as his thumbs rotated over the excited clits. The smell of the sweat pouring off the women, combined with their moaning drove Bill to distraction. He wanted to just plunge his cock and fangs into each woman, pounding until his inner vampire's hunger was sated….but he'd had too much practice in self control. And if he'd learned nothing else, the anticipation was almost as good as the reward.

The debate of which woman to stick his cock in first was answered by Paloma disobeying his instructions. She let go of her ankles and spread her legs apart, grabbing her breasts frantically. "Come on Bill, just fuck me!" she begged.

He took a calculated risk. "I didn't tell you to spread your legs," he said flatly and he swung the hand that had been fucking her up and slapped right down on the wet exposed pussy. Her reaction was what he expected. She let out a surprised yell, but her green eyes flashed excitedly and she obviously wasn't afraid. He'd pretty much figured Paloma liked it rough. Grace let out a disappointed cry when his other hand pulled out of her. He grabbed Paloma and flipped her on her stomach over his knees. The spanking he gave her wasn't meant to be a slow fun buildup, but immediate, shocking, stinging pain.

"Ah!" she yelled.

He flipped her back over, his stiff cock impatiently hovering over the naked pussy. "Is this what you want?" he asked.

"Yes! Now, Bill, now!" she panted, and grabbed at her own breasts again. He wasn't having that.

"I didn't tell you to play with yourself, now did I? " he asked harshly, and pushed her hands away and slapped both breasts several times.

She was figuring things out now, and she kept her arms above her head with her legs spayed in front of him. Her sweaty body, panted and shook as she stared at his cock like it was the most important thing in the universe. "You never said he was this much fun," she commented in Eric's direction.

Bill grabbed her and flipped her over again. Even with her olive skin the redness on her bottom was obvious. It was even more obvious as he slapped her with his hand, causing some real sounding "OW"s.

"What did I do?" she asked, as he flipped her over again onto her back.

" No speaking to the peanut gallery," Bill said.

"What's a peanut gallery?" she asked breathlessly.

Bill flipped her again, and this time a couple "Oh my God's" came out when he spanked her again. She was shaking and quivering when he flipped her onto her back this time. Her face begged to know the answer, but now she was afraid to open her mouth. He answered it. "That was for not knowing what a peanut gallery is."

Behind him, Eric roared with laughter.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Grace still obediently had her legs up. "Grace you may lower your legs now," he said.

"Thank you!" she said, exhaling and lowering her trembling legs.

"Keep them apart for me please," he ordered.

"Okay," she answered and kept her legs askew with her arms relaxed over her head. Perfect.

Bill looked down at Paloma. "I'm going to fuck you and bite you now. Does that sound acceptable?" he asked, like there was any doubt.

"Hell yeah!" Paloma cried, pumping her fist in the air.

He looked back over at Grace. "I'll be getting to you shortly," he said, winking. A smile of anticipation spread across her face and her toes waggled happily.

Without any warning, he plunged into Paloma's hot opening. She was more than ready. "AH!" she screamed. "Yes!" She screamed a few more 'yes's as he slapped her breasts a few more times, then grabbed the dark nipples tightly between his thumb and forefinger and twisted. She was really close and her yelling was getting irritating, so Bill pulled out. Her sweaty hands clutched at him, but to no avail. He flipped her over again, but this time on her knees. Then he shoved his cock into her again, holding her slender hips tightly so he could pound as quickly as he wanted without losing contact. Her hands were clutching at the bedclothes, her face buried into the mattress, so her yells were muffled.

"Grace, scoot over here, keep your legs spread," Bill ordered, jerking his head towards her friend. He wrapped his hand around Paloma's dark hair and pulled. "Paloma, put your face down there and eat her." He pushed Paloma's face into Grace's wet pussy, but pulled her hair tightly with his hand. Grace arched back, her blue eyes half closed, her ample hips wiggling from the licking and sucking going on below.

He resumed his pounding and Paloma was practically yelling into her friends pussy that Bill was pushing her face into. He felt the familiar tightening of muscles around his cock. Pulling her head to the side, he buried his fangs into her neck as she screamed. His hips convulsed automatically as he came with her and the blood shot down his throat. It was hot, flavorful, spicy, and fresh in a way he hadn't tasted for years.

He was careful not to take too much, mindful that Eric was feeding on her regularly. Her body was shaking as he licked the little wounds and pulled her into his lap. She was taking big breaths like she'd just completed a marathon.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Uh, huh…., um..give me a second to catch my breath," she panted.

He licked the juices on her face and they kissed a few more times. "Here, why don't you rest a little?" Bill said. Lifting her easily, (which on Mars was even easier than Earth being one third gravity) he nodded at Eric, who took the hint and leaned forward with his arms out. She slid into his arms and curled up in Eric's lap still trembling slightly.

"Are you cold?" Eric asked.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just still in shock, you big fat liar."

"You just had a screaming orgasm and you're complaining? What now?" Eric demanded.

"You warned me that I'd probably be bored having sex with him. You're so full of shit."

"Oh …..that," Eric said, looking innocently at Bill.

Bill just glared back at him. He was in too good a mood now to argue with Eric. And Paloma's blood was buzzing along, lifting his spirits. And it was time to turn his attentions to Grace.

He reached out and gently pulled her foot towards him. She stretched out, lying quietly waiting to see what he'd do. Massaging the foot, he observed her for a minute. If given the choice between the two women, he preferred Grace's physicality. Even after hundreds of years, he still preferred women who were physically like the beauties of his human teenage years. It was like that body type had been imprinted on him.

The breasts were large and natural, judging from the large pink nipples. It was time to tackle those first. He stretched himself out on top of her. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She giggled a bit. "Yeah, this lower gravity thing can be kind of neat. You don't feel like you weigh that much."

"Very good," he replied. "I'm think I'm going to have a little fun with these first. How about that?"

She nodded, looking excited and anxious.

He pulled his upper lip back to expose the fangs that were down again. He wasn't going to draw blood, but he'd been wanting to bite those large round breasts since the moment he'd seen them. Firmly grasping them in his hands and shoving them together tightly, he buried his face into them. Her scent was extraordinary and his inner vampire danced with anticipation of how good her blood was going to taste. Fangs dragged across the tight skin, and the nipples started hardening, so he opened his mouth wide and bit down. A tiny high pitched cry sounded in his ears, not asking him to stop, but go on. Careful to not break skin just yet, he bit and sucked some of the most gorgeous natural breasts he'd seen for a very long time.

When he started feeling like he was on the verge of hurting her, he pulled back and moved his way down. Nuzzling the little patch of red hair with his chin, he growled, " I want you to spread your legs, so I can eat your pussy."

"Oh!" she said, looking nervous again. Bill suspected she did not have the same amount of experience as her friend, or she didn't have her bravado. The nervousness fled her face once he had his face down there and his tongue flickering rapidly. She was dripping wet and Bill knew she wanted him inside her, but wasn't as aggressive as her friend. He'd have to get her to talk.

He stopped pleasuring her with his mouth and sat up a bit. His cock was hard again of course, impatiently waiting to join in the activities. There was a tiny 'no' that seeped out of her mouth.

"Grace," he said casually. "Would you like me to put this in you?" He pointed down at his cock, which was hovering over the glistening, wet red hair patch.

"Yes please," she murmured, almost quivering with anticipation. Her pale cheeks were flushed, which made the brilliancy of her blue eyes stand out even more.

"I don't think you're that interested," he drawled. " I don't think you really care."

"Oh, I do!"

"Then beg for it," he ordered, lowering his voice

She looked surprised for a moment, then embarrassed.

"Don't worry about them," he said, jerking his head back towards where Eric and Paloma were sitting. "This is just us. I want you to beg for my cock."

"Please Bill, I beg you."

"Beg me to what?"

"Beg you to ….fuck me." She said, her voice very quiet.

"A little louder please."

"I beg you to fuck me. Please fuck me, I beg you."

"Show me where you want my cock to go."

She raised and lifted her legs back, spreading completely. Reaching down, she pushed the swollen lips apart and pointed towards the opening there.

"Good girl." Bill rubbed the head of his cock around the outside of her opening, watching her wiggle, trying to get him to push inside. He was enjoying teasing her. Just when she looked like she was about to have a stroke, he pushed in….just part way.

"OH!"she cried in frustration.

He slung her ankles up around his shoulders. "Do you want it more like this?" And he slammed into her, like a car going from zero to sixty, he thrust into her wet, tight, space, rapidly. The heat being generated from the friction alone was dizzying. The large breasts shook back and forth as he pounded into her.

"Oh!" she called out, this time not from frustration.

He leaned forward, allowing her legs to wrap around him. He buried his hands in her long hair, his tongue down her throat, and his cock into her pussy. She was ready to climax.

They both were.

When she was on the edge, his fangs found their way into her neck and his cock released into her as his mouth sucked the lifeblood out of her. She might have been screaming, but his ears were buzzing from the incredible explosion of hot blood down his throat. It was incredible, but her blood was even better than her friends. It was sweet, fresh, and reminded him of meadows of flowers in the sun for some reason.

He reluctantly stopped drinking, and licked the wounds on her neck.

"Are you alright?" he asked, gently smoothing her hair.

"Wow, oh yes….never been better," she gasped. Her warm arms were still wrapped around him and he rolled them together, so they were more side by side. The large breasts were pressed against his chest and he ran his hand down her hip, patting and clenching the meaty bottom. She was wrapped around him, her pulse vibrating through his body.

Her breathing started slowing down and the body slacked a bit as she seemed to doze off.

He glanced at Eric and Paloma. Eric was sitting relaxed with his legs stretched out. Paloma was curled up and looked…asleep. Her head was resting on Eric's shoulder as his large hand caressed her shoulder. Bill gestured towards the bed, so Eric stood up holding Paloma in his arms. He carefully walked over and set Paloma down in the bed on the other side of Bill where there was room. Then he did something that surprised Bill. He pulled the loose sheet up over the three of them, in effect tucking them in.

Paloma snuggled next to Bill's back and murmured, "When I wake up from this nap, I want someone to explain what the hell a peanut gallery is." Then she drifted off again.

Bill chuckled and Eric sat back in his chair laughing too.

Eric meet Bill's eyes. "Admit it. I give great birthday presents."

"Alright, I admit it," Bill said reluctantly.

TBC

_888888888888888888_

_A/N John Douglas is an actual person. I was watching a show with him. He's probably done more for catching serial killers than anyone, but he's paid a price for it. It occurred to me that if our vamps were real, he'd probably be one of those guys they'd consult about them. It just seemed an interesting angle for the story, but I don't konw the guy so who knows what he'd actually have to say. _


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Charlaine Harris owns all these wonderful vampire characters, gosh darn her!

I don't use a Beta so all boo boos are mine.

I know it's been forever, but unfortunately my personal situation hasn't improved. It's been a downer, so I took a break from that today to finish this chapter. You'll be able to see that the first section was completed before Deadlocked. I've decided to leave it the way it is. I'll leave further musings for my profile page.

Recap: I'm sure alot of you have forgotten most of this, but a couple reminders. The first section is a flashback and the last section is "current" day ie in the future. Bill is living on Mars. Eric shows up unexpectedly with two lovely lady friends to give him a good time for his millenium birthday.

8888888888888888888888888888 8888888888888

"Why hello there! You're Bill Compton aren't you?" The woman coming onto him purred, as she lightly pushed her chestnut hair and her shoulders back for Bill's viewing pleasure. He wasn't interested and privately debated the best way to get rid of her. Fortunately, his young dates took matters into their own hands.

"He's MY boyfriend! Go away!" one yelled, while the other cried out,"MINE!".

The woman jumped back, taken off guard by the sudden attack. "Ahh…." She stammered.

"I think my dates have spoken," Bill commented smoothly. "It would be wise for you to move along. Have a good evening."

She had some sense apparently, because she scuffled off clutching her beer and looking a bit put out.

"Your dates are very territorial," Sam said, as he slipped Bill another TruBlood on a napkin.

Bill leaned against the bar and smiled. "Yes, I'm beginning to realize I like my women that way." Sam chortled and moved off to mix some more drinks for the buzzing bar. Bill looked down at the cherubic faces of his respective dates. Andy and Halleigh's daughter Caroline was clutching one of his legs with all the power of her three year old self and her cousin, Portia's daughter Isabella, imitating her on the other leg. Whatever Caroline had, Isabella had to have too. It had been that way practically since she'd been born. Bill felt compelled to correct their behavior, even as he appreciated the results. "Girls," he intoned slowly. "You realize yelling isn't very ladylike."

"But you're OUR boyfriend, OURS! Not that lady's!" Caroline declared, staring up at him determined. Unfortunately, she appeared to have inherited his family's stubbornness.

"But, that doesn't excuse yelling at people, understand?"

The little round face pouted for a second, trying to get her mind around this concept. Bill resisted the urge to pick her up. If he did, then Isabella would start squealing and stomping her feet. He'd have to pick up both. Then he wouldn't have a hand left to hold his drink.

"Okay," she said slowly.

Bill wasn't sure she knew what she was saying okay to, but it was best to accentuate the positive. "Very good Caroline, that's my girl."

He took another sip of his drink. Isabella was drifting a bit. She either lacked the stamina of her cousin or Caroline had managed to sneak in a longer nap that day. In five minutes she'd have her diapered bottom sitting on his left foot.

He relaxed against the bar, absorbing the warm ambience of Merlottes for the last time. In 24hours he was going to leave this place and never see it again. He would head for the airport, catch a plane to Florida, join his fellow astronauts (who were already in quarantine), and board the ship for the long five month journey to Mars. At this moment, there was still a feeling of surrealism to the thought.

The bar was as busy as Bill had ever seen it. The waitresses were hustling between the tables. The cook in back was sweating from the heat of the sizzling fryer. Even Sam appeared pressured, as he barked at the busboy to keep the tables cleaned off. Bill closed his eyes for a second, smelling the fried food, tobacco, beer, sweat, and cheap perfumes that made up Merlotte's distinctive scent. Smiling, he opened his eyes and looked down at his feet. Isabella had plunked down on his foot and was gazing around at the hubbub in her purple corduroy overalls, clutching a lavender plastic pony with purple hair in her hand. Her eyes were bleary and it was obvious she was drifting off.

"Oh dear, is she sitting on your foot Bill?" Portia got up from the large table she was sharing with her husband Glen, her brother Andy, Halleigh and a few of their friends. She strode over and lifted her daughter off Bill's foot with a grunt.

"It's fine, but I think she's ready for bed," Bill replied, amused.

"Don't wanna go to bed," Isabella murmured against her mother's shoulder.

Portia kissed her daughter's head and said, "We're leaving anyway sweetie. Your Daddy has an early appointment tomorrow."

"He's a good man," Bill said, without warning. Portia looked startled at the unexpected comment.

"Yes, he is," she agreed. They were both silent for an uncomfortable moment. " You're leaving tomorrow night aren't you?"

"Yes"

Portia leaned her cheek against her now dozing toddler's forehead. "I don't know how to say this, given everything that's happened, but it will be so strange….you not being around. And Isabella will miss you very much." Her brown eyes didn't meet his, staring at some empty spot on the floor.

"Well, this may sound odd, but it will be nice to be missed."

Portia's eyes flickered at him with a puzzled expression.

"I spent so many years ….wandering and mostly alone. I am grateful that I was able to come back to my original home and form a relationship with family. It means a lot to me and I will not forget it."

Portia's expression was hard to read.

"I'm glad we got to spend time with you and get to know you Bill. Please be careful," Portia said softly. Then she leaned forward and kissed Bill lightly on the cheek. "We'll be praying for you."

"Thank you"

With that she turned, and followed her husband out the door. Glen nodded to Bill as he opened the door for his wife and sleeping daughter. Portia appeared to wipe one of her eyes as she disappeared into the night.

"Uncle Bill? Why was Aunt Portia crying?" Caroline asked, gazing up at him with concerned eyes. It had been decided that calling him "uncle" would be the least confusing for the children. His true relationship to the Bellefleurs could be explained to them when they were a little older.

Now that Isabella was gone, Bill could pick her up. He lifted her onto the bar, and put his extra arm around her so she wouldn't fall.

"She was just a little sad," Bill replied. "She'll be alright"

"Oh, okay."

Bill took another sip of his drink, as they remained quiet and still, toddler and vampire, observing the late night organized chaos that was Merlottes.

It had been an interesting couple of days. Bon Temps had held a parade this night for Bill. When told that the mayor was going to give Bill a key to the town, he had initially refused, but the mayor had come to his home personally. After it was explained what terrific advertising it would be for the town, he had reluctantly agreed. Fortunately, it had been a homey sort of affair, with the local high school band, the fire department trucks, a few floats, kids dressed as astronauts , a presentation down at the square that seemed to have been attended by everyone in Bon Temps and Bill had enjoyed himself. Bill had ridden in an older model Cadillac convertible, waving to everyone as they went. Afterward, it seemed like at least half the people in the square had come back to Merlottes to toast Bill and his upcoming mission. He was touched and a bit taken aback by all of it.

The key was attached to a plaque, sitting on the bar next to Caroline. Since she'd gotten permission, she was playing with it. Her little legs kicked back and forth, the beaded Minnie Mouse sneakers sparkling in the lower light of the bar. Bill watched her tiny fingers tracing the shiny gold plated oversized key. The script below read "To William T. Compton, Bon Temp's native son. For defending us during The War of Northern Aggression and achieving what few ever hope to attain, to travel amongst the stars. We proudly present this key to our town and hope it will serve as a reminder to never forget where you come from. For to us, you will forever be, our Vampire Bill. Our prayers will be with you. God Speed."

The date was under the script. Bill hadn't had the chance to absorb the words during the ceremony, but he looked at them now. He knew that the words weren't typical of a formal "key to the city". They were folksy and sentimental. He wondered who had written it. He doubted everyone in the town agreed with the sentiments, but there had been a very large cheer after it was read at the rally. The concept of acceptance by this local community still felt odd to him, after spending decades on the outskirts of human society. An unfamiliar hard swallow caught in his throat as he read the words again.

A familiar scent filled his nostrils.

"Well, look at those snazzy sneakers!" Sookie popped over, smiling her genuine smile at Caroline. Bill hadn't talked to her thus far this evening, since the bar had been so busy and she'd been whizzing past him with trays and pitchers of beer. "Are those Minnie Mouse?"

"Yes!" Caroline answered, holding her feet up, so Sookie could have a better view.

"They're so pretty! I wish I had a pair just like them!" Sookie said. Caroline laughed at the idea. Her cheeks had little dimples when she laughed. She was adorable when she laughed. At least that's what Bill thought. Sookie winked at Bill," We should get a pair for your Uncle Bill too!"

"Minnie is for girls," Caroline pronounced with authority.

"How's that baby brother of yours doing?" Sookie asked.

"He sleeps a lot," Caroline answered. "Daddy says he does poo poo a lot."

"He does?" Sookie exclaimed, giving Bill another wink and gazing at Caroline. "Well, he's a little baby and that's what babies do."

"I'm not a baby. I use the potty now!" Caroline added to clarify her mature status.

"Good for you," Sookie praised. "I'll bet your mama and daddy were pleased as punch."

"Uh huh"

Sookie smiled, then turned to Bill. "I have to get back to my tables. You're leaving tomorrow night aren't you?"

"Yes"

Sookie's smile tightened a little. "Did you bring your car tonight?"

"No, I rode with someone else earlier. They've already left, so I'll probably be running home tonight."

"How about I give you a ride home?" It was completely unnecessary of course. Bill could easily run home in minutes as he had done many times before. But, he wouldn't pass up a chance to spend a little more time with Sookie. He had paused too long before answering. Sookie added," It'll be like old times, almost."

"Yes of course, I'd appreciate that very much. Thank you," Bill said.

Her grin spread wider. "See you later kiddo," she said as she tweaked Caroline's sneaker and hustled over to Sam, who had a couple pitchers ready for her to take to a table. Her blond head leaned in towards her boss's reddish one as they briefly discussed the tab the respective table was running. According to local scuttlebutt, Sookie was a co-owner or manager of Merlottes now. She'd loaned Sam some money to get him through the difficult transition after the two natured had revealed themselves. Sam had stubbornly stayed and kept running his business like normal. After a while, people in Bon Temps just seemed to forget he was a shifter or decided they didn't care as long as they had a comfortable bar to drink in. There had been some turnover with his staff, which wasn't unusual, but Sookie had stayed put.

"She's pretty," Caroline said, interrupting Bill's thoughts.

"Yes…yes she is," he agreed.

"And nice."

"I agree."

"Some people are mean to her, but I'm always nice. Mommy says to stay away from mean people"

"Your mother is very smart. You listen to her. Some people just aren't very nice and it's best to steer clear of them."

"Uh huh". She set the plaque down, and leaned into Bill, resting her head on his shoulder. He tightened his free arm around the little warm body. He was just starting to have an inkling of how much harder it was going to be leaving than he'd originally thought.

These potentially depressing thoughts dissipated as he heard Halleigh's voice approaching. "Well, little girl, I think we're going home! Someone needs their bedtime."

Caroline gripped Bill's neck and whined a little as her mother walked up. "I'll stop by and see you tomorrow night, sweetheart," Bill reassured her.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She still frowned when he handed her to her mother. Halleigh grunted. "Goodness! She gets heavier every day. I'm positive!"

"They grow up fast," Bill agreed.

"Will we see you tomorrow night?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'll stop by on my way out. I might have something I'll need to drop off," he commented casually.

"Oh, alright, see you then…" she said. Her little group filed out. Bill heard her telling Andy what he had told her.

The rest of the evening was pleasant. Various people came up to him at different points and wished him luck. He got hit on a couple more times, but he brushed them off. When the place was almost empty and Sookie started doing her end of shift clean up, he went to Sam to pay up his tab.

"Don't worry about it," Sam said firmly, as he wiped the bar down with his towel.

"Well, thank you. It's not necessary," Bill replied.

"Just keep safe. We're all rooting for you, you know." Sam avoided Bill's eyes, and kept rubbing the same spot on the bar even though it looked perfectly clean to Bill."You've been a regular patron and God knows you've been a lot less trouble than some of my other customers."

That wasn't entirely true. Bill and Sam had a few run in's in the past, but it sounded like Sam was letting those go now that Bill was leaving.

Bill nodded. "Well, thank you again. And good luck with your business endeavors. If you get the time, you're on my Call List to send me emails and video if you'd like."

That got a reaction. Sam looked as startled as Bill had ever seen him. "Oh! Oh…um..okay..maybe I'll do that…yeah..maybe I will at that." He nodded almost to himself.

"You ready Bill?" Sookie came up slinging her purse over her shoulder.

"Yes. Thanks again Sam, good luck."

Sam nodded," You too." Sam appeared to be fighting the impulse to drop the towel and reach a hand out to Bill, even though he knew vampires don't shake hands.

Bill took that as a compliment and followed Sookie out the door.

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Then Sookie said," A package arrived for you today. The UPS guy brought it to my house, because it was insured and needed a signature."

"Thank you."

"It's a good sized box," she added, with a question in her voice, too polite to directly ask what it was.

"I'll open it at your house, if you don't mind."

"That would be fine."

The conversation ended awkwardly. Bill didn't recall he and Sookie ever having trouble keeping a discussion going. Sookie seemed to changing her sentences as soon as she started them. He had no idea why.

When they pulled up to her house, she asked," Why don't you come in and hang out for a bit? Unless, you have some packing to finish?"

"No, I'm pretty well done and most of the items I'm taking with me have already been shipped to NASA. They weigh everything we take."

"Oh, wow"

"I'd love to come in."

"Great"

As they entered Sookie's comfortable old house, she tossed the purse aside, scratched her shoulder and said," I need to take a quick shower. I feel totally gross. It was such a busy night, is that okay? Can you wait a few minutes?"

Bill nodded.

"Okay. I'll be back in a flash! There's your box," she cried as she hustled down the hallway.

Bill got a box cutter out of the kitchen drawer which held odds and ends. He opened the box and smiled when he saw the contents. He had been hoping this would arrive before his departure.

He wasn't sure how the idea got started, he suspected Pam's influence. Eric had decided that a Vampire Bill astronaut doll would be a great merchandising idea. Unfortunately, Bill had signed over most of his money decisions to Eric since he was leaving anyway and once Eric had this "brainstorm", he wouldn't let it go. The marketing and merchandising department at NASA had some experience with this since they had okay'd astronaut dolls in the past. Or as Eric had said, when Bill protested becoming a doll, "action figures".

The toy manufacturing giant Mattel had gotten involved and the next thing he knew, Bill was signing paperwork allowing them to use his likeness.

He gingerly lifted one of the patriotically decorated boxes out. The doll was approximately 12 inches in height. He was wearing a full spacesuit, complete with helmet. There were tiny NASA emblems and an American flag decorating the chest of his spacesuit. The facemask could be pulled down or snapped up with the push of a button. He was pale, but not as pale as most vampires really were. The tiny vampire Bill stared at Bill through the clear plastic window of his box with a confident, serious expression.

The back had drawings of Mars, factoids about him, and information regarding the mission he was about to embark on. And it stated that the box included a small educational foldout poster to hang on one's wall.

Bill honestly couldn't believe that anyone would want to spend money on such a thing.

"What's that?" Sookie padded back into the living room. She had a towel on her damp hair, with a brush in her hand and quickly walked up to Bill wearing her nightshirt with Tweety Bird on the front.

With an embarrassed expression, he held up the doll.

To his surprise, she shrieked and threw down the hairbrush. "A Bill astronaut doll! That's crazy! How do I get one?"

"You may have this one," Bill replied. "You like it?"

"It's great! Don't you think it's cool?"

"I'm having trouble imagining anyone desiring to purchase such a thing."

"Bill, you have no idea how many people buy and collect dolls," Sookie announced with an informed air. " I know several people who will want one of these."

"Well, tell them they'll be available at Fangtasia, on their website and NASA's website." Mattel wasn't sure about putting the doll into toy stores until they gauged the public's reaction to the doll. Most of this shipment was going to Eric, but Bill had insisted on seeing them first.

"I'm going to open this," Sookie announced. "Do you want a blood?"

"Yes, please."

While she scampered into the kitchen, Bill relaxed on the sofa. Some drawers opening and closing, a ding of the microwave and she came back. After handing Bill his drink, she giggled while eagerly opening the box.

Once she pulled the little Bill out of the box, she cried," His arms and legs move!" Acting like a kid at Christmas, she set the doll on her lap and moved his arms and legs back and forth. The little white booted feet kicked. Then she popped the facemask open.

Bill had to laugh out loud at the situation. "I would have agreed to this a while ago if I had known it would give you so much pleasure."

"Well, he's just so cute!" she declared. Bill sat there, feeling ridiculous as he experienced jealousy towards the little Bill doll, who was cuddled against Sookie's breasts receiving her attentions. "Whose idea was this anyway?"

"Eric's, but I think Pam may have suggested it to him."

Sookie's enthusiasm damped down a bit at his mention of the Viking's name. "Oh, how was the big party the other night?"

The previous weekend, Eric had decided to throw the party to end all parties for Bill. Bill wasn't sure how he had managed it. He suspected bribes, glamouring, and threats were involved. It had been held in the massive parking lot of the large strip mall where Fantasia was located. There had been Shreveport dignitaries there, TV station reporters, Louisiana delegates, vampire dignitaries, fireworks, massive crowds, a DJ doing dance music, and enormous lights pointing towards the sky. Bill attending wasn't optional. It was a requirement. He'd been glad when it was over.

"It was fine," Bill replied casually. "I preferred the one Bon Temps had tonight."

"Was SHE there?" Sookie asked. She kept her head down, playing with the little astronaut in her lap.

Bill didn't have to ask who "she" was. Eric hadn't been able to get out of the marriage his Maker had arranged for him before his final death. And while Sookie had never told Bill anything about her breakup with Eric, it was obvious she was still holding a grudge. Bill had held his tongue since he knew she wouldn't like what he had to say.

Eric had pulled off a negotiating coup by getting a "Sookie Clause" included in the primary body of the marriage contract. In addition to the gifts of oil wells, natural gas rights that the Queen of Oklahoma had given to Eric for their wedding, a protection clause had been added. He had absolutely refused to go forward until the Queen had agreed to extend her protection towards Eric's human lover. In return, he had agreed to severe his relationship to Sookie. According to Pam, the Sookie Clause was over twenty pages long and covered her protection from threats, abduction, injury, death and being Turned. In essence, if anyone did wrong to Sookie Stackhouse, they would have to contend with the Queen of Oklahoma. If the Queen failed to uphold this part of the contract , then Eric could get out of the marriage, keep all the wedding gifts she'd given him as well as any assets accumulated during the marriage, and had the right to sue for breach.

Bill grudgingly admitted (to himself), that what Eric had done was genius. Essentially, he had pitted the Queen against their own monarch, thereby guaranteeing neither would act against Sookie. And no outside vampire would do anything to her, because they'd be forced to contend with two separate monarch's wrath. Eric had managed to do something that Bill could never have done. She would be left alone if she wished. She could make her own decisions and live without fear of coercion from other vampires for as long as she lived.

Eric had given her a tremendous gift.

Unfortunately, Sookie didn't see it that way. Her hurt feelings regarding Eric's marriage and her place in vampire society had dissolved the remaining ties between them. She could have remained with Eric as his human companion, a 2nd class citizen amongst the vampires, but this she would not do.

Bill understood why she felt the way she did, but he also knew she didn't fully appreciate the scope of what Eric had done for her. But Sookie had never asked his opinion, so he didn't volunteer it.

"Yes, she was there," he replied to Sookie's question. "The king was there as well and a number of other notable vampires. They feel my accomplishment will raise vampire's status in human society."

"It'll help them is what you mean," Sookie answered darkly.

"That too"

They sat quietly for a minute. Bill finished his drink and tried not to look too envious towards the little Bill with his face buried in Sookie's bosom . To his relief, she got up and placed the doll in a sitting position on the mantel over the fireplace. His helmet was snapped back down over his head, and he perched between a ceramic bird sculpture and a postcard that appeared to be from Paris. After retrieving her hairbrush, she sat back down and continued brushing out her hair. Bill remembered a previous evening similar to this one and the beautiful way it had ended. But that was the past and this was now. There was only red residue left at the bottom of his bottle and he sat quietly, knowing he should leave, leave her alone to live her life.

But, he couldn't bring himself to get up. Then, a hand crept slowly onto his knee. He stared at Sookie, daring to hope. Only her profile was visible, as the freshly washed and brushed hair covered most of her face. She was looking up towards the little astronaut sitting on her mantel.

"I know this is not a great idea but…." She began. "It's just that you're leaving forever and I hate that the last time…" She stopped, but Bill didn't need the words because he could hear them in his head

"I hate that the last time I touched you was with violence in the trunk of a car" he thought.

"Are you sure?" he asked, giving her the chance to change her mind. His cravings for her clawed at his belly.

The blond head nodded.

He had them in her bedroom in seconds.

At first, it was all he could do to not rip Tweety Bird right off of her. But, she pushed him away and firmly ordered," Bill Compton, this is my favorite nightshirt. Don't you dare rip it!"

"I'm sorry darling, I'm sorry," he muttered as he pressed his forehead against hers, calming himself down with effort.

As he leaned back, Sookie pushed him further away, then made gestures for him to remove his clothing. As he did so, she pulled off the nightshirt. He was sensing a theme here. When he climbed into the bed, he was sure of it, when she said," I don't know much." A knowing smirk spread across her face.

He returned the smile," Don't worry. I know a lot." Then, they both laughed the laughter of two people who know one another, the good , the bad, and the ugly. Who've been to Hell and back, so they now have a true appreciation for taking the scenic route. As Bill wrapped his arms around Sookie's warm body, he shoved aside the sadness of his impending departure. Instead, he rejoiced in this precious moment with this woman he cherished.

The sheets smelled of laundry detergent and sunshine. It wouldn't have mattered if they had carried the scent of a dozen Werewolves. God had decided to display an ounce of mercy, and granted this night with his darling. He wasn't going to waste a minute on things that didn't matter.

Any potential awkwardness never emerged. It was like they'd been making love nonstop for years. At first, the room was barely lit by a partial moon outside the bedroom window. Bill turned on the small nightstand lamp on his side of the bed. He wanted to remember the glow of Sookie's skin, the sparkle in her eyes, the golden sheen of her hair. He made sure that every spot on her body was kissed, stroked, and worshipped with everything he had. Nothing would be missed or neglected. He was a pilgrim submitting to the goddess of his heart.

They paused a couple times, when Sookie needed to catch her breath. He ran to the kitchen and brought her back some ice tea from the refrigerator and the little box she kept cookies in.

"Wow, naked male snack delivery," she smiled. "It just doesn't get any better."

Bill laughed and popped the container lid, handed her one of the tiny cookies inside. "I like that," she added.

"What?" Bill asked. "These cookies?"

"No, I love hearing you laugh."

"It's easy to laugh when I'm with you."

"God, we're so cheesy. Maybe we should write one of those vampire romance novels that are the big thing now."

"Stake me first…..please."

Sookie giggled and they reclined back into the pillows snuggling as close as the laws of physics would allow. They were quiet for a couple minutes.

"Are you scared Bill?"Sookie asked softly. Her arms tightened around him.

"A little, but I'm excited too. Please don't be afraid."

"I'm trying, but it's hard when it's someone you …..well you know."

"Sookie, in a lot of ways we're better prepared for this journey than the sailors who explored the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred years ago."

"Well, okay," she grudgingly answered." But you tell those other people they better be nice …and look out for you too."

Bill smiled against Sookie's hair at the protective sound in her voice. "Are you going to open up a can of whoop ass on my fellow astronauts?"

Sookie burst out laughing and elbowed Bill's stomach. "Hey! I'm not that much of a redneck….am I? And since when do you use the words 'whoop ass'?"

"I spent way too much time at a certain redneck bar."

"I won't tell Sam you said that."

Bill rolled them so he hovered over Sookie, staring into her eyes. He stroked the golden hair that fanned around her head like a halo in old renaissance religious paintings. "Promise me something."

Sookie's face frowned at the change in his tone. "Let's hear it."

"Don't be so afraid of what might happen that you don't open yourself to something potentially wonderful. Your mortal life is too short. Sam is a good man…..for a shifter."

Sookie's lips compressed and a giggle erupted.

Bill stiffened a bit. "Did I say something funny?"

Her warm arms hugged him tightly. "Oh no! No ..no. no…not at all…it's just that…when you and I were dating…Sam said the exact same thing." Pitching her voice absurdly low, she said, "That Bill, he's a good guy….for a vampire." She laughed and squeezed him again.

Bill smiled, but repeated," You'll think about it? Please?"A warm kiss and a nod was the reply. He could hear the early birds beginning to chirp outside. As always, dawn was approaching and a painful goodbye was imminent. "I have to go," he said quietly.

"I know," Sookie whispered back, her gray blue eyes full and large as she gazed at him.

He couldn't help the slightly frantic nature of the last few kisses he gave her as they clutched in the early dark hours of the morning. Then he dragged himself out of the warm bed, and began slowly pulling on his clothes. Sookie sat up in the bed, hugging her knees to her chest, quietly watching him. There was really very little left to be said. One last look around, then he leaned back over her and kissed her again. When he hugged her and buried his face into her hair, he murmured," I love you."

"I love you too," she replied quietly and without hesitation. "I'm going to miss you."

Bill smiled into her hair."The feeling is mutual. But, we'll still be able to talk through the link I gave you."

"That's not the same thing."

"I know."

When he got to the doorway, he turned to look at her again. She dropped the blanket down to give him a nice view of two of his favorite things, did a little pin up girl head toss which made him chuckle, and blew him a kiss.

He blew her a kiss back and just when he was turning to leave she said," Bill?"

He stopped. "Yes, my darling?"

"Do me proud."

Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

The next night, Bill had his travel bag sitting next to the front door and wandered through his house while he waited for his ride to the airport. The more modern furniture had been sold. The older pieces that had been in his family for a long time were covered with cotton drop sheets. The lights were off, and he drifted from room to room like a ghost. He'd been born in this house and like most people of his generation, had assumed he'd die in it one day. Fate had other plans.

He heard the faint sound of a car coming down Hummingbird. Locking the door, he walked out to the bottom of the porch steps, and placed his bag next to the cardboard box. He leaned against the horsehead iron hitch. When he had come back to Bon Temps, he'd been amazed it was still there. Shutting his eyes, he remembered the day they'd installed it. It had been rather exciting with the blacksmith and his apprentice coming from town. His father had spent the morning digging a hole for it. Once they pulled their horses up, there was a discussion regarding the cement mixture they were going to use to hold it in place. Bill was dispatched to run back and forth with buckets of water from the water pump out back. Rocks, cement, additional dirt were poured into the hole, and it took all three men to place the hitch in its spot. Once it was installed, he and his sister had been ordered to not touch it for a couple days until the cement had set. He had been very excited when his father told him he could be the one to paint it. And here it stood, a quiet witness to his family's history. The last Compton was leaving forever.

Bill opened his eyes as the car was pulling up. The red corvette came to a smooth stop, with minimal gravel dispersing, which Bill appreciated. Eric unfolded himself from the car in a second.

"Are those the dolls?" he asked, looking down at the box at Bill's feet.

"Yes."

"Excellent! Pam has a spot in the gift shop cleared for them, right next to the T-shirts." Eric looked like he was ringing up dollar signs in his head. Bill didn't ask how much they were going to cost. As they shoved Bill's bag and the box into the Corvette's tiny trunk, Eric noticed the box's contents sounded loose. "Is there one missing?"

"Yes, I gave one away and I'm going to be taking two more."

"Bill, the whole reason to do this is to make money. What are you doing?" Eric didn't bother hiding his irritation.

"I am giving a couple away as gifts. You're going to make plenty of money," Bill replied, also not bothering to hide HIS irritation.

Eric grumbled a bit as they slid into his car. Bill experienced the pleasant feeling of freedom from Eric's displeasure. Bill could not be touched due to his current status, and upcoming mission. There was nothing Eric could do to him directly. He felt free to push the envelope a little.

"I need to make one more stop before we leave Bon Temps."

"Where?" Eric asked, gritting his teeth a little.

"Andy Bellefleur's house, I'll give you directions."

Eric's head nodded in the darkness. They drove quietly for a couple minutes. Then Eric interrupted the silence. " I Googled NASA and this astronaut thing you're doing," he blurted. Bill remained silent, since he was unsure where Eric's offer of discussion about his "astronaut thing" was going. "The human astronauts…they all appear to have very extensive educational backgrounds...multiple degrees…they're all very smart."

"Yes," Bill answered.

"I was surprised."

"Why? Did you think I was dumb?"

"No, don't be ridiculous. It's just …remarkable…that they're allowing someone with a limited formal education to do this. There are other vampires with more extensive educational backgrounds than you."

"True"

Bill had been assigned a formal tutor to "design" an educational program specifically for Bill and this mission, to get him "caught up" as it were. The expression on the tutor's face when Bill had told him his formal education had only gone to age 15….in the 19th century…. had been memorable. Bill had overheard the tutor speaking to one of the mission project heads. Even the very bright humans at NASA had trouble realizing how good his hearing was.

"What am I supposed to do with him? He doesn't even have a high school education! And he went to school before light bulbs were invented! There's no way he can catch up in a couple years! And learn the mission? He sleeps all day, you know that right? How am supposed to work around THAT?"

"We're aware of the issues with Bill Compton, but he's very bright. And he's self-educated, so don't assume he can't learn what he needs. He taught himself how to use computers and designed an entire database practically on his own. Bottom line, cut the negativity and make this happen. The higher ups have a time table. You know this. The ship has to leave within a specific timeframe so Mars will be as close as possible."

"Very well, but I'm informing you that given his weakness In this area compared to the alternate vampire candidates…this mission could be in jeopardy. You're only as strong as your weakest link, you and I both know this."

"Of course, I know you'll do your best. In a few months , if it's not looking good, we'll revisit this and take another look at the alternates, alright?"

"Okay, I can live with that."

Bill was determined that the alternates were not going to replace him. He suggested that they set up school rooms in the lower levels of one of the old military buildings that were no longer used. The basements went down for many floors, a left over from the Cold War and nuclear fears. Deep underground, Bill could be awake hours longer than normal, which added to his training time. He did his "remedial" learning there and his astronaut training with his teammates. When his tutor gave him book reading assignments, he was shocked at how fast Bill read through the books and how well he retained all the material. There was no more talk of alternates.

"There were concerns at first, "Bill said, "but they got over them as my training progressed."

There was a heavy silence for a few seconds. "I never realized you were that smart," Eric murmured grudgingly.

Bill had no idea how to reply to that.

They pulled up to the Bellefleur's modest little house, on a tidy older street on the other side of Bon Temps.

"Pop the trunk, please," Bill requested, as he got out.

A sullen grunt was his only reply, but he heard the trunk's latch click. He still had his key to Andy and Halleigh's house, from his occasional babysitting duties with the children. Some of the happiest moments over the past couple years had been sitting in this little house. Andy and Halleigh entrusting him with their children had been very moving for him. He had read baby books and perused the internet for helpful advice and safety tips.

He quietly let himself in, carrying two of the Vampire Bill dolls. It was a little later than he had stated, so it appeared everyone was asleep. Burying his disappointment in not getting to say goodbye, he glided into the kitchen, its only light the one over the stove which typically stayed on all night. He set the two boxes on the table and started leaving a note, saying they were for Caroline and Isabella. Then he heard soft familiar footfalls in the hallway.

"Uncle Bill!" Little Caroline stood in the dark doorway, a wide grin spreading across her face." You came, you came, just like you promised!" She ran over, making soft thumping sounds in her pajamas with footies. She threw herself into Bill's waiting arms and hugged him with the full emotion of a small child who knows no caution when expressing love. Bill was so overcome, he had to be careful not to hug her back too hard. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at the boxes in the dark kitchen.

"One of those is for you and one is for your cousin," Bill explained. "Why were you up anyway?"

"I was thirsty. Can I have some water?"

"May I have some water," Bill corrected.

"May I have some water?"

"Of course you may."

After getting her a drink, he carried her back to her room while she examined what he had brought her. Once they were in her room, which was lit only by a nightlight, he turned on a small lamp. She was currently sharing her room with her baby brother Lee. Bill looked into the crib and was shocked to see the baby was wide awake and staring back at him. Bill took a quick sniff and knew why.

"Uncle Bill? I want to play with him!" Caroline begged, holding up the box.

"In a moment, sweetheart. I'm going to change your brother before he starts crying." Bill replied firmly.

There were times when being a vampire was a definite advantage, like changing a baby's messy diaper. Bill was able to do it quickly, and not breath during the process. The modern diapers with the tape tabs were wonderful and made this an easy task. Baby Lee had his usual stunned, toothless smile when Bill was done. Bill held him close and asked," Do you feel better now?" Baby Lee answered with his usual, "Ah!" and reached out to grab Bill's nose which he was fascinated with for some reason.

Bill had not been able to go see Lee at the hospital like he had with Caroline. By then, his astronaut training had gotten more involved and days off were more difficult to come by. He knew the baby had been born healthy and it was a boy. He didn't know the name until he came back to see him after they brought the baby home. Like Caroline, Lee's middle name was Compton. Bill had blinked hard when they had said their son bore the same name as the baby he and his wife had lost too soon. He thought it was a coincidence until Halleigh had awkwardly mentioned that they knew about his son. She seemed concerned that Bill would be offended. He had assured them he felt the exact opposite.

Right now, the baby Lee was wide awake, sitting on Bill's lap as they sat at Caroline's table on little chairs. He stared wide eyed at the box Bill was opening for Caroline, reaching out to pull it to his drooling mouth, attracted to the colorful pictures. Maybe he should have gotten another doll for Lee, for when he got older. Bill pictured Eric's face if he went back out to the Corvette and took another doll out of the trunk, no, not worth the argument.

Bill handed Caroline the Bill astronaut and she immediately began "introducing" him to her other toys. Bill and Caroline took up two of the four chairs. A large brown bear, with a tiara on its head sat on one, with Barbie on its lap (Bill had been informed of Barbie's importance). The remaining chair held a stuffed rainbow colored unicorn. Lee leaned back into Bill, slobbering and gnawing on the cardboard box. Bill shook out the little poster that had been included. It had a picture of Mars next to a picture of the Earth, giving side by side comparison information about the two planets; their respective sizes, distance from the sun etc.

Caroline stopped her introductions. "Is that a poster?"she asked. Bill handed it to her and she took it to the white eraser board she used for drawing and hanging pictures. She put magnets on it to hold it against the messy background. It was crooked, but that didn't matter. He looked over the various glittery, messy drawings (Caroline LOVED glitter). He saw one that looked vaguely like people.

"What's that sweetheart?" He asked, pointing at the picture. Caroline had sat back down and was arranging her plastic tea set in honor of the new member.

She pointed at the picture while explaining. "We drew our family at Miss Bea's. (Miss Bea ran the daycare Caroline attended while her mother was teaching). That's daddy and mommy". The two figures could be told apart by Andy's size and what appeared to be a gun on his hip. A small blobby circle with a smiley face turned out to be Lee. "And that's you!" She pointed at a tall skinny figure with brown hair. There seemed to be something wrong with the mouth. "Those are your fangs!" She had drawn two red spikes coming down out of his mouth. Bill hoped he didn't appear that way to her. "The white crayon didn't show, so I had to use red," Caroline explained apologetically.

Ah well. "It's a wonderful picture," Bill observed.

"Do you want some tea Uncle Bill?" she asked, arranging the little plates and teacups on the table. Little Bill had been seated on the bear's lap next to Barbie, his facemask popped open so he could drink the tea too.

Bill knew it was late and she should be in bed sleeping, but it was too difficult to cut this comfortable setting short. "Yes please, that would be lovely," Bill answered automatically, with the same words his human mother had trained him to use.

A dark weight eased onto his shoulders. He had thought he understood what it meant to leave and never come back. But now, with Lee's small, warm body squirming on his lap while he accepted Caroline's offer of "tea" with mini plastic glittery cupcakes placed on his plastic plate; there was a gaping black hole opening up in front of him. Had he made a mistake? It had taken over a century to regain part of what he had lost when he was turned. Now, he had a place in the community, family ties, friends and a home. Caroline's voice yanked him back.

"Make sure you drink your tea Bill," Caroline ordered. Bill started by her tone of voice, then realized she wasn't talking to him. She had placed a tea cup and plate with the pink mini cupcakes in front of the bear, so Barbie and the little astronaut could share. She was tipping the cup into little Bill's mouth. "You're going to fly far away, so you need to drink your tea," she repeated, sounding like her mother. Bill lifted his cup to his lips and drank his "tea" too.

"It's very good Caroline. You make the best tea." Bill smiled.

"Will you play with me tomorrow after dinner?" she asked, holding one of the pink cupcakes up to little Bill's mouth so he could eat. Although she didn't understand the "why" of Bill only being around after dark, she knew that she never saw him during the daytime because the sun made him "sick".

Bill had explained his mission to her many times. There had been tv specials about it on Science channel, Discovery, and the History channel as well. And one of the children's channels had run age appropriate programs about the mission that she had watched. But she was only three. Her whole world consisted of this little house, her parents, immediate family , her daycare and maybe the park. Adults had trouble grasping the concept of a planet that was millions of miles away, how much harder for a small child?

"Sweetheart, I explained this to you before, remember? From now on we're going to talk to each other on the computer. I won't be able to come over, but we can talk and you can show me what's going on here and I can tell you what I'm doing, understand?"

"You won't play with me?" she asked, her eyes sadly staring at Bill. The look in her eyes was identical to Sarah's when Bill had left to fight in the Civil War. Maybe getting involved with this family had been a mistake. Caroline might think Bill was abandoning her. He tried to reassure her.

"We can play, but on the computer. I'm going to fly into the sky on a rocket and go to a planet far, far away so I won't be able to come over here anymore, but we'll always be able to talk and share, okay?"

She nodded slowly, a little frown wrinkling her forehead. Bill had a feeling that her poor mother was going to have to revisit this all over again later on.

Lee was a dead weight in Bill's arms. During this conversation he had drifted off and his chubby face had the blissful expression of a child's pure relaxed sleep.

"I thought I heard voices," Halleigh said. She was standing in the doorway, with a fluffy robe wrapped around her, blinking in the lamplight at the scene in front of her.

"I apologize," Bill said. "I didn't realize it was so late. While I was dropping something off for Caroline and Isabella, she woke up and…..here we are." He gestured towards the tea party he, Caroline, Barbie, the bear, unicorn, and astronaut Bill were conducting.

"Oh, that's alright Bill, it'll be fine. What's that?" she asked stepping forward to look at the new addition.

"He looks just like Uncle Bill and he's an astronaut too!" Caroline informed her mother, holding up the astronaut for introductions.

"I see, well isn't that something! Did you thank your Uncle Bill?"

Caroline immediately looked abashed and hung her head.

"Well, young lady, what do you say?"

"Thank you Uncle Bill!"

Bill laughed. "You're welcome sweetheart." He stood up with the sleeping baby and carefully placed him back into his crib on his back like he'd been instructed.

"I saw a car sitting in our driveway."

"Yes, that's an….acquaintance of mine. He's taking me to the airport."

"Oh, has he been waiting? Should I invite him in?"

"No! Um, no that will not be necessary, Halleigh. I should be going."

"So, you're headed there now?"

"Yes, I'll be flying directly to Florida and going into quarantine."

"We talked about you in Sunday school," Caroline offered.

"I'm sorry?" Bill asked.

"We all prayed to baby Jesus to help you and the other astronauts," she announced.

"Well, thank you very much for that," Bill said.

She pronounced the word "astronaut" correctly. Bill was so proud of her. "And we drew pictures." She got up and dug through the mess of papers stuck to the white board. The family picture was pushed into his hands as well as another picture that seemed to be him and someone else, wearing spacesuits with a bubble around the heads.

"Who is this standing with me?" he inquired.

"That's me!" Caroline answered. "I will come see you and we can play," she added, with the utter confidence only a child can muster.

Bill smiled gently at the picture of him and the smaller astronaut holding hands.

"What's that?" Bill asked, pointing at a red circle in the corner of the page.

"Mars," Caroline answered like it was obvious. "You can have them! "

"Why thank you so much. I'll cherish them always. Will you give me a hug?" He kneeled down, so Caroline could reach him and she ran over and wrapped herself around him. For several seconds, he held her to him, wished for the second time in as many days for time to stand still. "Uncle Bill loves you very much Caroline. Don't ever forget that, no matter what. You understand?"

"Yes Uncle Bill. I love you too."

He let her go and stood up. Halleigh was wiping tears from her cheeks. They shuffled back to the front door, Caroline holding his hand all the way. Andy came rushing down the hallway, wrapping his robe around his stocky body.

"Is he leaving? Did I miss him?"

"He's right here Andy," Halleigh said in a reassuring voice. Andy slid to an embarrassed stop.

"Ah…well…I just wanted to wish you well and good luck," he nodded at Bill, knowing not to shake hands.

Halleigh opened the front door and gave him a hug. "You be careful, you hear? We'll all be praying for you."

"Thank you," Bill replied, as he hugged her small form gently. They all waved from the doorway, as he walked down the sidewalk to the driveway. The headlights came on, as Eric started the car. When he slid in he looked at Eric and nodded. Eric nodded in return and started backing up.

THUNK!

Eric slammed on the brakes. "What's that? Did I hit something?"

Bill turned and saw Andy and Halleigh running down the sidewalk in their robes and slippers. Halleigh was yelling,"Caroline!" Bill experienced a moment of terror thinking Eric had just backed over Caroline, when Caroline's little head popped up alongside the passenger door.

She waved . "Goodbye Uncle Bill!"

Bill rolled down the window. "Caroline! You know better than to run at a car! That's very dangerous!"

Halleigh ran up and checked her daughter. "She's fine! She's okay. She just fell into the door is all. Young lady you know better," she admonished her daughter.

"I'm sorry, mama," Caroline said, looking up at the set of her mother's mouth.

Reassured that his daughter was alright, Andy realized it was a Corvette his daughter had just run into. He ran his hand down the door and leaned over to address Eric. "It's fine! No dent, it's okay!" he said, the relief obvious in his voice.

Eric nodded.

Bill stared at Caroline. "You be careful young lady and listen to your mama…..and your papa," he lectured, nodding towards Andy.

Caroline nodded obediently. "Okay Uncle Bill. I will." Then her demeanor changed and she looked past him towards Eric. "You be nice to my Uncle Bill," she said, pointing at Eric, apparently having decided that Eric was a part of Bill's mission.

Bill was scared to turn and see the look on Eric's face on receiving orders to "be nice" from a three year old child.

"Caroline! Watch your manners!" Halleigh said. Looking at Eric she said, "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," Eric's deep voice murmured.

Bill rolled the window back up. If he was human, he'd be desperate for a drink of alcohol right now. "Okay, go ahead," he said.

"Is it safe? Will any other tiny humans be launching themselves out of the brush?" Eric asked, peering into the rearview mirrors and glancing around the driveway suspiciously.

"Yes, it's fine," Bill responded, waving at the little group on the sidewalk. They all waved back.

Eric backed out slowly, twisting his head around until they were safely in the street. He relaxed once they started making their way out of Bon Temps. When he spoke again it was with the voice of a vampire elder. "Bill Compton, I have a question to ask you."

Bill shifted in his seat at Eric's tone. He glanced over at the profile of his sheriff's face as they hurtled along Louisiana's dark roads. "Yes sheriff?" he asked, using formal address.

"Are you ready to leave this place and go forth on your journey?"

"Yes, I am."

"Very well….so be it," Eric replied. He perked up when they got out of the Bon Temp's city limits and onto the highway.

Bill did not look back.

Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Bill arched his back, pushing his hips off the bed while he gripped Grace's tightly. The view was spectacular. Grace's large breasts had a light sheen of sweat on them, her head was thrown back and red hair cascaded down her shoulder blades. The hot wet insides of her gripped him as she climaxed and Bill could stand it no longer. He sat back up, pulled her to him and sank his fangs into her neck.

When he had heard humans describe taking drugs, the "hit" they received…he determined it must be a lot like this. As her throbbing heart pushed the sweet blood into his open mouth, he felt he would explode and die right there. And he wouldn't mind.

Afterward they cuddled together, limbs entangled. Bill enjoyed Grace's warm legs wrapped around his cooler ones. He reflected over the past several days. While he had gone back to his work, he had also made a little time to spend with Eric and the two women. The threesome of their initial encounter had not been repeated. Instead, a couple days afterward, Grace had shown up at his door wearing a long silk gown, a seductive smile and very little else. It had been a very pleasurable evening.

Later on, Bill had informed Eric of the time he'd spent with Grace, unsure if he was going over a line. Eric had shrugged and said he already knew about it. It became obvious to Bill, that although Eric had a relaxed relationship with both women, Paloma was his favorite. Unlike Grace, who was a pleasant, easy going woman who seemed to have a desire to make others comfortable; Paloma was more playful, and challenging. She was a very blunt, forthright sort of woman and enjoyed teasing Eric as much as possible. Sometimes, even Bill was shocked at some of the things that came out of her mouth and were directed towards the older vampire.

While he and Grace snuggled next to each other, observing the Mar's morning sunlight creeping across the ceiling; they talked about her visit so far. She told him of the various touristy things her, Paloma and Eric had done. They had taken the official station inside tour and were planning on doing the external one in a couple days. Eric had adjusted to the Mar's gravity and was now walking pretty normal, but was still uncomfortable in the Mar's flat daylight. Since all the tours were conducted during the daytime, they were going to wait another day or two.

They had visited the various establishments including the official Mars Rocks! Jewelry store that had exclusive rights to selling jewelry made from Mar's rocks that had been ground, shaped, and polished on Mars. Each piece came with documentation, and engraving that announced it was "Made on Mars". Eric had purchased both women some pieces they selected.

"How did you meet Eric?" Bill asked. He had been working his way up to asking this personal question.

"Well, Paloma met him first, at a party I think. They hit it off right away. People get a little intimidated by Eric, as I'm sure you know." Bill nodded against her fragrant hair. "She said he liked the fact that she wasn't scared of him and spoke her mind, especially when he's being a jackass." Grace laughed lightly, her soft breasts shaking against his chest. Bill shifted a bit, wondering if it was too soon to initiate sex with her again. He didn't want her to think that was all he wanted from her. But she was so beautiful and smelled so good. It was difficult to not think about taking her over and over. The fact that she was actually a lovely person inside added to her attractiveness. Unlike some beautiful women he'd met in his undead existence, she seemed nonchalant about her appearance.

"Have you and Paloma been friends a long time?"

"Um….yeah….we met when we were teenagers and became friends later."

"What do you do?" Bill asked. He had been debating asking this, since he wasn't sure if Eric was taking care of these two women.

"I'm finishing up my schooling, so is Paloma." Bill had figured they were both fairly bright. He had a low tolerance for brainless women and so did Eric.

"What are you ladies studying?" Bill asked.

"I'll have my Master's in Geriatric Nursing by the end of the year, and Paloma will be studying to take her bar exam for interplanetary law when we get back. Since the terraforming has really started here, various governments are ready to carve up the planet already and they'll need lawyers I guess," she said, sounding amused by it all.

"Well, if Paloma can handle Eric, I'm sure she'll be able to handle anyone who disagrees with her," Bill commented. Grace laughed. Then he asked something else he'd been wondering. "What is the …nature of your relationship with Paloma, if that isn't too personal?"

Grace laughed again. "What are you worried about there Mr. Bill?"

Bill shrugged in the bed," I was just curious. I apologize if this is out of line."

"You're so polite, especially compared to Eric who just blurts stuff out without thinking about how it's going to affect the other person! It's amazing you two are friends, " she marveled. Bill didn't comment on her observation. "To answer your question, we're good friends. We have fun too sometimes, with other people. I wouldn't have tried half the things I've tried if I hadn't met her. She's just fearless and will try just about anything once. I'm not that brave," she added, squeezing Bill's torso and cuddling closer.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Bill said warmly.

"Hah! You're such a flatterer."

"Not at all."

"Anyway, once we're done with school, I'll get a job somewhere and she'll travel off to wherever. I doubt it'll be the same. And besides, I think Eric is going to turn her. "

"What?" Bill exclaimed, sitting partway up and looking down at Grace's face. At first, he wasn't sure if she was joking, but from her startled expression it was obvious she wasn't. "Has he said this?"

"Well, he and Paloma have discussed it and they've even filled out the application for it," Grace explained, still looking concerned regarding his reaction.

Bill lay back down, pondering this. Eric hadn't turned anyone for a few hundred years. Why now? And why hadn't Eric even mentioned it? Laws now required prior notification of the intention to turn a human into a vampire. The human had to be at least 24 years old, of sound mind, and there was a one year waiting period to avoid any second thoughts. The exceptions would be a human who was dying of an illness or some disease that would cause them to be less than able bodied later. And there were limits to how many children a vampire could have currently "alive" at any one time. This had actually been established by the vampires themselves after an especially tyrannical vampire tried to create his own personal vampire child army.

"Is something wrong?" Grace asked. "Is there something I should know?" Bill realized the concern in her voice was for her friend. He quelled that immediately.

"No, not at all, forgive me. I was just surprised that Eric hadn't mentioned it."

"They haven't told anyone else but me. Paloma is worried about what her family is going to think."

Bill could understand that. Grace reluctantly pulled away from him and out of the bed. Bill had been with enough human women over the years to know what she was going to do and not comment. Sure enough, she made a beeline for his bathroom. After a few minutes he heard the hand washer hiss, then she walked back out. He enjoyed watching the sway of her hips as she strolled across the carpet.

She stopped in front of his desk. He had three visual panels mounted and a large control pad for them. He could operate them orally through Caroline, but because he was a vampire, it was sometimes quicker to use the pad. That way, he could multitask and operate all three panels simultaneously. Right now, they were in "art/décor" mode, so they were slowly flipping various pictures, photographs, and designs across their screens. It was similar to the antique digital photo frames that some people still owned. Surrounding that area were shelves and cabinets with equipment, various items he'd collected and old fashioned large LED tablets with operations manuals and journals he'd kept. Most of their data he'd already loaded into Caroline and had sent back to Earth to be stored in the Mar's Explorer archives. But he couldn't bring himself to throw them out since they still worked. He reluctantly realized he may have finally turned into his father after all.

"I'm sorry. I'm being nosy," Grace said, pulling away from the display.

"That's alright. It's not top secret or anything," Bill joked.

Reassured, she leaned back in watching the display slowly flip, flip, flip…then she touched the pad to freeze them and leaned even closer. Bill saw she was looking at a photograph taken of him before he left Earth. He was kneeling on the grass, in front of a large bush with huge white moonflowers, and little Caroline Compton Bellefleur was hugging him with one arm while placing a daisy into his hair that appeared already full of them. Even though the picture was in color, the combination of Bill's pale complexion, the white flowers in his hair and the background gave it a black and white appearance. The middle screen was a child's scrawling drawing of two astronauts, one tall, one short , holding hands.

Grace smiled and pointed at the drawing. "Did the little girl do this drawing?"

"Yes," Bill answered, smiling back.

"How did you know her?"

"Her family were my descendants. I was her great –grandfather, 3rd generation."

Grace's eyes got big. "Wow," she blurted. She pointed at the third screen of an older woman, standing very straight, wearing an old fashioned dress and a large gold medal around her neck. "Who is this?"

"The same little girl, but older"

"What's that around her neck?" Grace asked.

"A Nobel prize medal in medicine"

Grace gasped. "What was her name?" she asked, peering even closer.

"Caroline Compton Bellefleur"

"You're related to THE Caroline C Bellefleur! Oh my god, I did a school report on her when I was a teenager!" Grace exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Bill laughed again, charmed by Grace's reaction. He was pleased she knew his Caroline. And it made sense given her studies. Caroline had been one half of a team that discovered how to halt Alzheimer's disease, which had revolutionized how humans aged. She had already been involved in neuroscience, studying brain chemistry and function, but when her father had come down with the disease, she switched fields. Someone else had already figured out what caused it , but it took her and her research partner another 20 years to discover how to halt it. They couldn't reverse damage already done, but if caught early enough the quality of life for the patient was increased dramatically. Unfortunately, the treatment came too late for Andy Bellefleur and when she showed him the medal and diploma presented to her by the current Swedish king, he thought it was a pretty coaster she made for him in arts and crafts and tried to put his drink on it.

Bill had made his peace with these memories centuries ago since all the family and friends from that time period had been dead for so long. It pleased him that some of them were not forgotten to time.

Grace must have caught something in his expression. "You loved her very much didn't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Bill replied. "My relationship with each generation of my family has become more distant than it was when I was on Earth. Now, I have only a passing acquaintance with some of them."

"Why haven't you gone back?" she asked, genuinely curious. "It doesn't take so long now, once they invented the ion propulsion."

"This is my home now," Bill stated firmly.

Sensing Bill's discomfort, Grace changed the subject. "We hear you have a regular watering hole….O'Tooles?" she asked, sliding back into the bed with Bill. "How about we meet you there later tonight for a few drinks? Can you get some time off work?" She gazed at him hopefully.

After considering his schedule for a moment, Bill replied, "That sounds like a plan."

"Great! " She snuggled closer, under the blanket. "I think I need a little nap after that workout you just gave me."

Bill chuckled, rubbed his nose into her fragrant hair and let her drift off while he pondered this recent information about Eric.

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

They were already on their first drinks when Bill arrived at O'Tooles. Eric appeared to be telling a story that had Harold and the girls laughing. Bill slid next to Grace, kissed her gently on the cheek and greeted the bartender with a nod.

"Your usual Bill?" the human asked.

Bill took a pause and considered. "No, I think this calls for something special. Let's get my Royalty out of the locker." O'Toole's had private temperature controlled lockers that were rented out for personal collections of alcohol. Bill's room lacked even a small refrigeration unit since he had no need for one. And it was safer to keep the valuable blue bottle in one of Harold's lockers since they had been built similar to safes with constant security.

He and Harold walked over to the back corner where the lockers were. They each put their hand upon the sensor, Bill punched in the "open" command and the door of his locker popped open. As Bill carried it back to the bar, Harold rummaged around his glasses. "I've never served this before," he said. "What would be the best type of glass to use do you think?"

Bill replied," A wine glass should be fine. Get two Harold." Harold nodded. Eric glanced at Bill with his eyes widened in surprise. "Don't look so surprised Eric. It will be pleasant to have someone enjoy it with me."

"That's so sweet," Grace interjected, squeezing Bill's arm. The two women watched Harold curiously, since probably neither of them had ever seen a bottle of Royalty served.

"Thank you Bill," Eric replied smoothly. "Harold, the glass needs to have a large enough bowl so the scent can be picked up as well."

It said something for Harold's experience as a bartender and dealing with people, that he didn't react to Eric's statement about the glass that Harold was carefully pouring right now. He poured the rich, red liquid, then glanced at Eric, who nodded when he'd poured enough. Popping the glasses into warming units, he put the top back on the Royalty and slid it into a temporary locked cooler behind the bar.

Bill felt his fangs starting to slide down in anticipation of this special treat. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had Royalty. It was a good thing there were only a few regulars scattered around the bar, since he wasn't sure he would be able to totally suppress his reaction. He accepted the warm glass from Harold and held it close to his face so as to better inhale the rich, complex scent.

"Bill!" Eric chided. "You're not going to drink without a toast are you?"

Bill thought for a second. He was drawing a blank, so he asked," What shall we toast?"

"I've got it," Eric declared. He held his glass up and tilted towards Bill, so Bill held his up. The two vampires clinked glasses.

"To one thousand years," Eric intoned, looking directly at Bill.

"To one thousand years," Bill repeated. The girls clapped, as they clinked again and drank. It was hard not to shudder with the pleasure of it. Bill's fangs came down completely and he shut his eyes for a moment to regain his composure. When he reopened them, Grace was staring at him.

"That good huh?" she asked. Bill nodded a little, almost embarrassed. "I'll try not to get jealous," she smirked.

Harold walked to the other side of the bar, satisfied they were alright for the moment. He was serving a couple tourists who had just walked in.

They passed a companionable hour, chatting about the station. The girls laughed about some of the other tourists on the ship they'd come in on. Harold regaled them with funny stories about previous visitors. Then Bill mentioned going back to work.

"Would I be allowed to accompany you?" Eric asked, finishing off his original bottle of True Blood Classic.

Bill pondered that for a second. His first impulse was to say no, but in truth there was no specific regulation against it. As long as Eric stayed with him at all times. "Alright," Bill replied. "We'll go to my office so I can get you a visitor badge to wear in the restricted areas".

Eric nodded agreeably. Paloma and Grace debated for a moment, then decided they'd stop by the gaming establishment before heading back to their room. Each vampire received an affectionate kiss, then they split up. Bill watched Harold put the royal blue bottle back in his locker before he and Eric left.

Once they were back in the Operation's offices, Bill wondered whether allowing Eric to tag along was a good idea. "This won't be very interesting," Bill warned.

"I've been in business meetings before, Bill," Eric replied, obviously amused. "I'm just curious what your position entails….how a typical work night progresses…that sort of thing."

It sounded simple. A typical night could be quite varied given Bill's unique position on the station. He was proud of his team and the work they accomplished. Displaying this to Eric could be interesting. He shoved his misgivings aside and agreed, as he handed Eric his large yellow visitor pass to wear.

Eric behaved himself. He kept quiet, and observed Bill's various meetings with his team. They trekked around the station discussing the numerous minor repairs that never ended. Eric stood still and silent behind Bill at each location. The only time he reminded Bill he was there was when they were checking a pumping station in the horticultural dome. He inhaled deeply. "This section smells so different from the rest of the station. It's less…..," he searched for the word.

"Artificial?"Bill queried.

"Fake," Eric declared.

A dead being appreciating the most living part of the station was a lovely irony that amused Bill. "I enjoy this section as well," Bill explained. "But, I don't get to do it very often. I rarely take days off."

Eric tsked, tsked for a minute, then said," You know the old saying Bill. All work and no play makes a vampire a lousy l…"

"Stop," Bill interrupted, shaking his head. "Besides, I don't recall you being very good at taking nights off."

"Even an old dog can learn some new tricks," the older vampire answered. He paused for a second. "Don't you get bored?" You've been imprisoned in this place for centuries now."

"There are always things to do and I go outside the habitats regularly," Bill answered.

Eric stared down at Bill. "Show me," he said.

It was rather late in the Mars night as the two vampires drove a ground vehicle across the sandy surface. Visibility was poor, even for them since the wind had picked up a little and dust blew past. Bill was utilizing the sensors to make sure they didn't drive into a sand trap or off the edge of a cliff. His sense of direction on Mars was no better than a human when it was full dark and the sand was blowing. The lights from the control board illuminated his vampire companion's face. Eric seemed to be quite excited.

"This is amazing!" he declared. "We're driving across another planet!"

Bill grinned in agreement, then gripped the steering mechanism more firmly as the vehicle hit a rough area, causing the vampires to bounce in their seats a bit. They were both wearing space suits designed specifically for working on the Mars surface. Eric had balked about wearing it at first, since they were inside the vehicle. But Bill had insisted. Planning for worst case scenarios was how one survived on Mars. Murphy's Law seemed to work overtime here, so they also had a case of the dried blood mix in case they got stranded and had to wait for help. The helmets were sitting on the seats behind them. Bill had shown Eric how to put it on and lock it in place in less than five seconds if he had to.

What he hadn't told Eric was that they were going to leave the ground vehicle and walk on the surface. He was beginning to get the idea that Eric was less than impressed with his life here. It was close enough to dawn that they would be able to watch the Mars sunrise. Bill wanted Eric to see how amazing this planet really was. And watching a sunrise for the first time in a couple millennia ought to make an impression on the older vampire.

They hit another rough spot and bounced again.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" Eric accused.

"No, of course not," Bill retorted, just as they hit another one and bounced again.

This time both vampires laughed.

"Maybe I should drive," Eric suggested.

Bill pictured the two of them careening off the edge of a massive crater. "No"

"Pretty please?"

Bill tried to remember if this was an expression he'd ever heard Eric use before". "No," he replied.

"Spoilsport"

Bill snorted in reply.

"Will we see any of the factories?"

"No, we're not close to them. The day tours visit them though." The factories Eric was referring to were the second major stage in terraforming the planet. Begun a couple hundred years before, they pumped out the same gases that had caused Earth to warm so quickly centuries before. The goal was the same. Warm up Mars by creating a layer of gases that would hold what little warmth the planet possessed. Once there was some semblance of an atmosphere, they would move to the third stage. The Mar's soil could already support several different types of Earth plants, each with varying degrees of genetic manipulation and did in the horticultural dome. Once the temperature was high enough, and the atmosphere thick enough to block some of the radiation, the plants could go into a structure with minimal protection and support. At first, they would be variations on the plant specifically designed for Mars, then genetically modified Earth plants that already had a tolerance for high Ph soil, like asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, various lettuces, carrots, beets etc. And that was just the beginning.

It had taken so long to get to this point, and so many times it had seemed a pipe dream. Bill was thankful he was immortal and had lived long enough to see it get to this point. That reminded him of his previous decision to visit the gravesites of settlers. He would consider that later.

"So, where are we going?"

"The Victoria crater"

"And then?"

"We'll wait for sunrise."

There was silence as the older vampire digested this information. "Is it safe?" he asked, then paused in an embarrassed manner. "Never mind, that was a ridiculous question."

"We'll be perfectly safe," Bill responded, calmly. "We're too far from the sun for it to harm us directly."

Eric sat back in his seat, like he was listening. "Why can't I feel the sunrise approaching? How long?"

"We can't sense the sunrise approaching, but it will be up in approximately one hour. Would you like some blood?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine."

They sat in silence, bumping along. When the instruments told Bill they were within fifty meters of the crater's edge, he stopped the vehicle. He put the vehicle into power save mode after making sure all the exterior spotlights were on. The blackness outside hovered over the brightly cutting swathes of light shining upon the orangey red surface.

After ten minutes, Bill broke the silence. "Grace tells me you are going to turn Paloma."

Eric twisted his head and stared at Bill. "She shouldn't have told you that."

"Why? Why keep it a secret from me?"

"Because, I don't need to hear you pontificate about destroying her humanity or some other nonsense."

"It doesn't bother you that she won't be the same woman she is now?"

"And so it begins"

"Well? Doesn't it?"

"Bill, in a couple decades she will not be the same person she is now anyway. Humans change as they get older. You know this. She is not doing this under duress. We have discussed it many times. And If she changes her mind and backs out, I will not force the issue," Eric stated with great patience, but he was dropping his contractions which was a bad sign. "She is willing and it really is not your concern is it? If you had ever been a Maker you would understand the rewards and the benefits, to both Maker and Child."

Bill sat silent. Eric seemed willing to let it drop and they sat silently for another fifteen minutes.

There had been a tiny shift in the light outside the vehicle. It was time. Bill picked up his helmet, put it on and locked it into place.

"What are you doing?"

"Put your helmet on. We're going outside."

"What?"

"You heard me"

"You didn't tell me that!"

"It's perfectly safe. Come on Eric! Where's your sense of adventure?" Bill challenged.

The older vampire scowled, but he popped his helmet on and locked it into place as Bill had shown him. Bill went through the depressurization lock first. When Eric stepped outside the vehicle he touched his toe onto the sandy Mar's surface like he expected it to turn into quicksand. Awkwardly, he lumbered after Bill like Frankenstein's monster. Bill wisely held his tongue on that observation.

"Follow me," Bill requested, as he turned on his headlamp.

Being inside a suit removed a lot of the senses that vampires relied on automatically. Their sense of smell was eliminated, their hearing reduced, besides the com relays next to their ears, only their eyesight remained unaffected. Bill walked carefully and paid attention to Eric walking behind him. They weren't that far from the crater's edge and he didn't want to go tumbling over it.

The shift in the light had grown greater, so the area around them was more visible. They were approximately twenty meters from the edge. Both vampires stopped and stood silently as the light from a distant sun weakly bled over the horizon and across the bleak Mar's landscape. The orangey peach light grew slowly, casting shadows across the crater.

"This reminds me of the Grand Canyon," Eric commented over the com relay.

"Only this wasn't carved by water, but from meteors plummeting down," Bill responded.

Eric shuffled ahead of Bill, getting closer to the edge to get a better look at the vast open space beneath them. His stiffness in moving was the only clue to his discomfort out here in the open with the sun peeking over the horizon. Vampires much younger than Eric hadn't been able to do this. Too many decades or centuries fearing the sun took their toll. Bill grudgingly admitted (to himself) that it was remarkable one so old could do this. He was proud of his old sheriff.

Not that he would tell him that.

Bill watched as Eric drew closer to the edge, gazing downward. It suddenly occurred to Bill, that he could push Eric off the edge and the older vampire would fall. The fall would likely be fatal since the suit wasn't designed for that level of damage. It would tear open and…..

Bill shook himself out of this flight of fancy. He wasn't sure why his mind had drifted this way. The tall figure in front of him half turned around. He saw a curving smile behind the domed facemask.

"What?"

"You were thinking about pushing me off the edge weren't you?" Eric asked.

"No! Of course not!" Bill replied.

"Yes you were"

"No! I wasn't!" Bill insisted.

He heard snickering over his com relay.

Eric faced towards the growing light. "This is rather freeing isn't it?" he said sounding almost giddy, gesturing towards the rising sun. Bill flinched as Eric suddenly took off running across the sand, jumping over large boulders in his way. He couldn't levitate or fly, but the lower gravity meant he could jump really high. Bill watched the sand blow behind Eric as the tall figure raced across the sand, periodically leaping into the air. It was like watching the super hero holo action dramas. Bill was old enough to remember when such stories were still written on cheap paper.

Then as suddenly as it had started, it was over. Eric stood silhouetted by the sun for a few moments. He looked like he was searching the ground for something. He reached down and picked up a rock about the size of a baseball, and strolled back briskly with it.

"A gift for Pam?" Bill asked. Tourists had a kilogram allowance for Mars rocks. Many of them didn't want to buy a rock. They wanted to find and pick up the rock themselves from the surface, much like people taking seashells home from the beach.

"I'm ready to head back when you are," Eric replied, passing Bill towards the ground vehicle.

They got back in the vehicle, removed their helmets and were on their way. After driving for an hour, Eric realized they weren't heading back towards the habitat. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"I need to make a stop before we go back."

"Very well"

They drove for another hour, then came upon some large rock faces over 30 feet high sticking out of the surface.

"What's here?"

"Settler graves," Bill answered.

"I see"

They pulled up to the rock face within view of a space craft that had obviously crashed into it. It sat forlornly half covered in Mar's dust. Next to it, there were large stones lined up in an orderly fashion with writing on them. The two vampires prepared to leave the vehicle again. This time, Bill reached into a locker and pulled out what appeared to be a bouquet of flowers made from plastic wrappers. It was rather colorful, contrasting with the interior of the vehicle and the bleak exterior.

"Where did you get those?"Eric asked.

"There's a woman on the station who makes them."

They spent about twenty minutes walking amongst the graves. Each rock had one side shaved flat facing upwards with a name and date on it. Bill would bend down and brush the encroaching dirt away, so each rock remained readable. When he got to the one closest to the wrecked spacecraft, he carefully placed the plastic flower bouquet next to it.

"Sally Carpenter," Eric read aloud. "Was she something special to you?"

"She was my friend," Bill responded quietly, kneeling down next to the rough stone.

"I'd say she was more than that," Eric commented.

Bill didn't answer. Eric wordlessly followed him back to the vehicle and they drove back to what little civilization this planet possessed. When they were going through the airlock , Eric asked another favor. "Could I use your tub? A bath would be quite pleasant. The steam showers are fine, but it's not the same thing, as I'm sure you are aware."

Bill heard himself saying yes.

It was officially "morning" so the humans were stirring on the station. Eric quietly followed Bill back to his room. "Good ahead," he said, pointing towards the bathroom's open door. "The operation should be clear enough and there are towels in the cabinet."

"Thank you," Eric replied politely, stripping off his clothing as he went.

Bill sat down at his desk, giving Caroline instructions on messages to send to his various team members from the walk the night before. He could hear Eric's groan of satisfaction from the other side of the door when he immersed himself in the small tub, and a bit of splashing.

By the time Eric finished, the sun had fully risen outside. Bill's quarters were filled with the peachy light. Bill was feeling a little sleepy. Once Eric left, he would do a bit more work than go to bed for the afternoon as was his custom. He heard the soft padding of Eric's feet behind him.

"Feel better?" Bill asked, turning to observe Eric.

"Yes indeed, I do, thank you again." Eric had dried himself off and was brushing his hair as he walked naked over to the settee and dropped into it. "How did you manage to snag such a luxury here?"

"Seniority," Bill smiled.

"Well, being immortal helps with that doesn't it?"

"Yes"

Eric brushed his hair with a slow studied air, gazing around the room observing the sunlight's shadows upon the walls.

"I never get tired of looking at it," Bill offered.

"I'd imagine not" Eric stretched his long legs out. "It was nice getting out of here and stretching my legs." He seemed to be done with the brush and leaned back against the settee, his arms relaxed against the back, extending past either side. The large blue eyes observed Bill, the face was still.

"What?"

"When was the last time you shared your bed with a vampire, Bill?"

Bill tried not to show his surprise. It had been some time actually given the few vampires that visited the station each year. And Bill hadn't lost his caution regarding intimacy with other vampires. Humans were safer. He thought of a few sarcastic retorts, then discarded them.

"Is that a proposition?" he asked lightly, like Eric was joking.

"Yes"

Bill was still. It simply hadn't occurred to him that Eric might desire him as a bedmate. He tried to buy time.

"Why?"

"Why not? When was the last time you were with someone older and more accomplished than you?" The white teeth flashed in an amused grin, and Eric displayed his fangs slowly poking out. The long legs were casually spread out. The owner's tall, powerful body on display. "Well?"

"I'm not sure."

"Why don't you admit you want to?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Because if you were totally against it, you would have thrown me out of your quarters by now." Eric grinned. "Why don't you just admit you're curious and would like to try it?" The Viking slowly leaned forward, his muscles tense, one of his hands drifted down between his legs absentmindedly. Bill thought about it. Eric would be returning to Earth, and likely never come back to Mars. A one night stand could be exciting. He'd been hearing about Eric's prowess since he was turned. Why not try it for himself? But he wasn't sure what the big Viking would desire. As if reading his thoughts, Eric offered," You can fuck me first if you'd like. Or not. We won't do anything you don't want to do." The broad shoulders shrugged in slow motion.

Why not? "Alright, bed or no bed?" Bill asked, cocking an eyebrow at Eric.

"Bed please. Rug burn hasn't gotten more pleasant over the centuries," Eric replied, his large eyes blazed with excitement.

Bill felt a subtle thrill at the opportunity to try something new and unexpected. It had been so long. He went over to the closet, and pulled the bed down.

For some reason, his long dead Maker's face popped into his mind. He had loathed Lorena, but she had honestly tried her best to instruct him on being a vampire and protecting himself. Dulled by living amongst weaker humans on Mar's for hundreds of years, he ignored what his instinct was trying to tell him.

By the time he realized Eric was attacking him from behind it was too late.

The long legs and arms wrapped around him in a vise grip. One hand covered his mouth to stop him from calling Caroline for help. And fangs almost two thousand years old buried into his neck.

TBC

888888888888888888888888888

It's my fervent desire that you all not have to wait an insane amount of time for the final chapter of this story, not to mention my getting back to my other stories. All I can say is I'll try my best.


End file.
